Siren: The Mermaid Miraculous Holder
by Cakedecorator
Summary: Rochelle is from New Orleans and is new in Paris. A champion swimmer, Rochelle hopes to be able to help Paris with the akuma problems and be an asset to Ladybug and Cat Noir, and points out that even Akuma victims can only stay on land for so long. When she finds a seashell choker and meets Finni, her life changes and her fantasies turn to realities. Rated T for safety reasons
1. Chapter 1

**It's been speculated that the miraculous items in Master Fu's box aren't the only ones out there. But we've only seen mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects so far (Ladybug, Fox, Bee, Cat, Turtle, Peacock, Moth/Butterfly...), but no aquatic creatures. Besides, Akumatized victims can only be land-bound for so long. So, I thought, rather than a straight animal, how about a mythical water being like a mermaid? Like the idea?**

 **So here's how it goes down: a new student from New Orleans, Louisiana, is a champion swimmer and often has dreams of being a mermaid. When she comes across a seashell choker in an odd-looking box, she meets Finni, the kwami of the Mermaid Miraculous!  
**

 **Now, when Master Fu gets wind of this** **through Wayzz, he's surprised because the Mermaid Miraculous had long been thought to have permanently vanished.**

 **Features "Part Of Your World" from "The Little Mermaid" - in fact, many songs from that franchise will be included.**

 ***Now, I'm taking some artistic license here as far as the laws and the River Seine goes - my research revealed that the river isn't the cleanest in the world, so swimming isn't really a good idea. In fact, it's banned in real-life Paris with a 15-euro fine.***

* * *

A beautiful scene of blue and sunlight coming up from the sky. Bubbles rose up from below, and then one could hear feminine laughter and giggles. Out of nowhere, a silhouette of a person with a large tail fin appeared, and the person had long hair. It was clearly a girl, and she was giggling while twirling and dancing in the water.

 *** _BEEP BEEP BEEP*_**

"Mm..." A girl sat up in her bed, as the dream stopped. She brushed her hair out of her face, and turned off the alarm clock. Her hair was revealed to be back-length and red, and her eyes were a beautiful sea-foam green.

Her room was revealed to be mainly sea-foam green and blue, with a major ocean theme to it; not a boat, but rather seashells and wildlife of the ocean. She had a trophy case with many trophies for swimming meets and competitions.

She got out of her bed, and put on her clothes, also in the same theme color.

 _'I dreamed it again... It's been happening for weeks now.'_ She thought, as she looked at a photograph.

It was a picture of her when she was younger, a woman that had blond hair and brown eyes, and an older man with the same hair and eyes as the girl.

"Don't worry, papa," She said aloud. "I'll make sure your legacy stays alive."

She went downstairs and saw her mother in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Rochelle." She said.

"Hi, Mom," Rochelle said, as she sat down for breakfast. "...I had it again."

Her mother looked at her, and asked Rochelle, "The dream about you being a mermaid again?"

"It's been three weeks since it started," Rochelle said. "Why is this happening?"

"I don't know," Rochelle's mother said, as she also sat down. "But your father always said that the water was always a part of him; being his daughter, the water is a part of you, too."

"Well, I never dreamed you would get transferred to Paris, France for work," Rochelle said, as she looked around the house. "But I hear that it's a pretty exciting town."

"Especially with Ladybug and Cat Noir protecting Paris all the time; I hear that Ladybug's power reverses any and all collateral damage that happens, so at least Paris stays intact." Rochelle's mother said, smiling.

"Sometimes I really envy them. Without Ladybug and Cat Noir, I don't know how many people could have been hurt or what. I wonder what it would be like to join them."

Rochelle's mother smiled a little bit, and said, "It's a weekend; why not explore Paris a bit? You might even find a swim team to join!"

Rochelle smiled and nodded. After she ate breakfast, Rochelle grabbed her purse - a sea blue seashell-shaped bag - and left the house. She wanted to go and explore her new home.

As Rochelle was walking around, she saw posters and paraphernalia about Ladybug and Cat Noir. She saw people going crazy over the merchandise. Looking into a store, she placed her hand against the window and she sighed as she looked at an action figure of Ladybug.

She wanted to join them, and she wanted to make a difference, too. She just wish she knew how.

However, Rochelle shook off the thoughts; she had heard rumors that if one was feeling really upset, that they would become akumatized and wreak havoc on Paris.

After Rochelle tore herself away from the shop, she walked around town some more. She found herself in front of the Dupain-Cheng bakery for a few seconds, and then she moved on.

Rochelle then came across the Bourgeois Hotel; hearing some screams from inside, Rochelle cringed back and started to walk away. She was wondering what the heck she was going to do about a swim team.

Fluent in French on all fronts, Rochelle found fliers about all local swim teams trying to find new swimmers, but they did not have any openings at the moment. Rochelle sighed; she had a hunch that something like that would happen.

 _'No swim team spots available. I can't kill time with that, then. So what can I do until there is an opening on a swim team?'_ Rochelle thought, as she kept walking around.

She found herself in front of an athletic complex with a pool inside; she smiled and rolled her eyes, knowing how typical it was for her to wind up near a body of water whether she wanted to or not. She walked inside, and went into the locker rooms to change. She always had a swimsuit, towel, and a change of clothes on hand in case she wound up going swimming somewhere.

In her bikini, Rochelle just did laps in the long pool, practicing her swimming, since she had nothing better to do. Looking around, a lot of the people were wearing swim gear that had either a ladybug or a black cat theme; in fact, it seemed like a lot of fashion was about Ladybug and Cat Noir around town.

Rochelle even hear rumors around the city that even the mayor's daughter, Chloe Bourgeois, was a fan to the point that she would dress up as Ladybug and go LARP-ing around her house.

Seeing how everyone adored the superheroes, Rochelle merely soaked in the water, knowing that she envied the two heroes. Looking up to the ceiling, she wondered how she would be able to help.

 _"There's Ladybug, isn't she neat? Cat Noir, too, makes the duo complete,"_ Rochelle began to sing. _"Those two have the world. The world they save, quite daily."_

Rochelle then dove underwater and swam around a bit, making like a mermaid. She then surfaced after doing a few water tricks.

 _"They've saved Paris, time and again. To be honest, I quite envy them. Looking at them, one would think, 'They're the best at everything'."_ Rochelle sang once again.

 _"Ladybug's Lucky Charm is quite handy. Cataclysm is so useful, too. Any other powers? Not that I see... But who cares? No big deal... But no more..."_ Rochelle sang, before diving under the water again.

Her imagination ran wild as she swam. She turned into a mermaid with a beautiful Bleu de France fin and she had a periwinkle seashell bra.

 _"I wanna be, where both of them are. I wanna help, help them with Hawkmoth. I want my own... What are they called? Miraculous, right."_ Rochelle sang, as she leaped out of the water, with her imagination.

 _"Running on legs, they won't get that far; fins are required for swimming, propulsion, long distance travels and most importantly - speed!"_ Rochelle sang, as her imagination stopped.

 _"I want to help! I want to fight! I want to help them do what is right! Swimming so free! Just want to be, part of their team."_ Rochelle sang, as she surfaced and got a gulp of air.

 _"What would I give, to have a miraculous of my own? What would I pay, to have a kwami or whatever!"_ Rochelle sang, as she laid on her back in the water. _"Betcha one day, Hawkmoth will say 'time for akumas to take to the water'."_

She once again dove underneath the water to continue her water dancing.

 _"One great swimmer! I'll be a winner! Ready to fight!"_ Rochelle sang, as she rose up out of the water once again. _"And I'm ready to help Paris stay standing! Wanna keep Ladybug and Cat Noir strong. Gonna make things stay right all along..."_

As she got out of the pool, she lifted her head and sang aloud, _"Is it so wrong? Wouldn't I love! Love to help Cat Noir and Ladybug?"_

She looked out the window.

 _"Saving Pari... Just want to be... Part of their... Team."_ Rochelle sang, as she sighed sadly.

Rochelle soon decided to wrap up her swim practice for the day; she wanted to make sure that she did not get too upset for risk of being akumatized. Sure, she wanted to join Ladybug and Cat Noir on their adventures, but she was not about to let that turn her into a villain.

* * *

The next day was Rochelle's first day at school.

"Everyone," Madame Bustier said, at the beginning of the day. "We have a new friend joining us today. From the Crescent City of New Orleans, Louisiana, we have Rochelle."

"Hello," Rochelle said, in perfect French. "I hope to get along with everyone here."

"New Orleans? Hah! Nothing good ever comes out of Americans." A girl with blue eyes, blond hair in a ponytail, wearing a stripped shirt and yellow jacket, and sunglasses atop her head said.

"Chloe, I don't think..." The girl next to her, with red hair and glasses said, a bit meekly.

Hearing this, Rochelle approached and slammed her hand on the girls' part of the desk.

"I don't take well to people who are just plain mean and racist - I can already tell that's the kind of girl you are. Unless you have nice things to say to me, I suggest keeping your mouth shut - no one likes hearing _garbage_ coming out of the mouth of some _brat_." Rochelle said, right to Chloe's face.

Chloe was rendered speechless at this statement. Rochelle sighed to herself; she knew she was forward and had a tendency to be pretty blunt right out of the gate.

Rochelle just decided to keep away from Chloe and Sabrina and to get a seat as far away from them as possible.

As she walked up the stairs, she made eye contact with a girl - she was wearing a white shirt with a pink flower, pink pants, a grey jacket, and had a pink bag with a floral design on it. She had blue eyes, and bluish-black hair tied into pigtails that hung low. Next to her was a darker-skinned girl with dark hair that had lighter colors on the end; she was wearing a plaid shirt, had glasses and hazel eyes, and had a beauty mark above her eyebrow.

"You can sit with us," The blue-haired girl said. "We have a seat open right here."

"Thank you." Rochelle said, as she sat next to the girl.

"I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng." She blue-haired girl, named Marinette said.

"My name's Alya Cesaire," The girl with glasses said. "It's nice to meet you, Rochelle."

"Thanks," Rochelle said. "I know I can be pretty forward and a bit much at times..."

"Are you kidding?" A boy with glasses, wearing a cap, and a blue shirt said; he was sitting next to a boy with green eyes and blond hair. "No one's stood up to Chloe Bourgeois like that. Her dad's the mayor, so she thinks she can get away with everything and get whatever she wants."

"She nothing but a cruel bully to everyone except Adrien here," Alya said, gesturing to the blonde. "You're one of those people who just doesn't hold back, aren't you?"

"In a few words... I don't mince words with _anyone_ \- I try to hold back when necessary, though." Rochelle said.

"Either way, that was impressive, girl; my name's Nino Lahiffe, by the way." Nino said, introducing himself. He was sitting next to a boy with blond hair and green eyes.

"Thank you, and it's nice to meet you too, Nino." Rochelle said, as she smiled; she was beginning to feel comfortable in her new school already.

* * *

When Rochelle got home later that afternoon, she was sitting on her bed, reading the Ladyblog's articles and watching the videos. She was hoping to find some hope or clue about how one could be a member of the team.

She gave up at some point and made to stand up, only for her to hit her head on the shelf above her. Rubbing her head, Rochelle saw an octagonal black box fall onto the bed.

"What in the name of the Dead Sea...?" Rochelle said, as she took the box into her hand and she opened it.

It revealed a bead chocker that had several colors of blue weaving through it in the design. The chocker had a stone in the shape of a scallop shell in sandy-pink hanging from the center.

However, it started glowing in sea foam green and as Rochelle covered her eyes, out from the box came a small creature. She was small enough to fit into Rochelle's hands, was also sea foam green, had a fish tail, and large, green eyes. She also had arms that were tiny and resembled fish fins.

Looking at her surroundings, and then making eye contact with Rochelle, the creature smiled.

"Hello! I'm Finni!" The creature spoke. "I'm a kwami!"

Rochelle was speechless, and on the verge of screaming from surprise. Looking to the choker and back to the kwami, Rochelle grew a facial expression of great confusion.

"What's your name?" Finni asked, as she started to fly around Rochelle.

"R-Rochelle..." She said, as she was still struggling to find her voice to speak.

"It's nice to meet you, Rochelle! So, looks like you're my new human partner." Finni spoke, as she landed next to the box.

"..." Rochelle failed to speak, as she was completely confused.

Finni, not sure what to do to break the ice, started to look around Rochelle's bedroom, and saw all of the trophies that she had won.

"Wow! A champion swimmer?! That's amazing! Most of the humans I've ever paired up with either can't swim, are scared to, or aren't very good! But a champion swimmer?! This is perfect!" Finni said, as she flew back over to Rochelle. "This is going to be great! We'll be an amazing team!"

"I'm still not sure what's going on..." Rochelle said.

Looking to the computer, Finni saw the Ladyblog.

"Looks like Tikki has found a new partner," Finni said. "The Ladybug Miraculous seems to be in good hands."

"What in the...?!" Rochelle said. "Who's Tikki?"

"She's a kwami, too; she's the kwami of the Ladybug Miraculous. There are several other Miraculous items in the world, all either lying dormant or in use. Each miraculous item has a kwami with it, and it takes both items to become a superhero." Finni explained.

Rochelle's eyes widened and said, "So that's how Ladybug and Cat Noir get their powers? Through the jewelry they wear?"

"Sure do! But..." Finni began, as she looked at the calendar. "It's been over eight-hundred years since I've been active."

"What?! Eight hundred?!" Rochelle shouted, in surprise. "You're that old?!"

"Older, actually; all kwamis are immortal, and we've been around since the dawn of time." Finni explained. "Now that the two of us are acquainted... How about you put on that choker?"

Rochelle did as asked; as she put on the choker, she looked in the mirror, and saw that it was beautiful.

"So... What now?" Rochelle asked.

"Rochelle? What's going on up there?" Her mother shouted.

"Just..." Rochelle began, but she hesitated to answer. Finni nodded, and they agreed to tell her mom.

* * *

"...So that's what's going on?" Rochelle's mother asked.

"...I can understand if you don't believe me; lawyers like you are pretty down-to-earth and realistic." Rochelle said, as she sighed.

"Oh no, I believe you." Rochelle's mother said.

"You do, Marissa?" Finni asked, confirming Rochelle's mother's name to be Marissa.

"Seeing a little cutie like Finni here makes it hard for me to be a skeptic," Marissa said. "But to think that this is the first time in over eight hundred years that she's been awake... That's quite a nap."

"Tell me about it," Finni said. "But what I don't understand is how I wound up in this building."

"It's been nearly a millennium since you've been active, Finni," Rochelle said. "Maybe the box just changed locations after scuffle after war after massacre and just wound up here somehow."

"That makes sense," Marissa said. "But I would never imagine that the box contained something this magical inside."

"Me neither," Rochelle said. "So what now?"

"I just give you a crash course in being a miraculous holder!" Finni said, as she flew to the front door. "Come on, Rochelle! We need to find the closest thing to a private pool we can get!"

Rochelle looked to her mother; she nodded, and Rochelle followed Finni out the door.

However, Marissa looked to a photo of the family when her husband was around. She said, "If only I had told her sooner... That choker was meant for her all this time..."

As Finni hid underneath Rochelle's hair, they made it to the banks of the River Seine and tried to find a private spot to hide; looking around, Rochelle saw no one.

"Okay, we're in the clear; what's next?" Rochelle asked.

"Repeat after me: 'Finni, gills on!'" Finni said.

Rochelle took a deep breath, clutched the shell on her choker and said, "Finni, gills on!"

The shell turned from sandy pink to sea foam green. Finni then entered the shell on the choker. With a look of awe and surprise on her face, Rochelle's clothes disappeared in a wave of light.

Her body was given a bleu de France body suit that had scales sparkling in periwinkle with hints of sea foam green in the light. Her face was given a mask in a matching scheme; her chest was given a periwinkle-sea foam green seashell bra and her hair was put up in a braid, fastened with a matching scallop shell. Her feet were given flats. Her ankles were given loose ruffled fabric that were also blue de France with the periwinkle sparkle affect; same with her wrists, waist and hips. On her waist was a scallop-shell in the same color scheme, with a string.

"Wow..." Rochelle said, looking in the water of the river. "This is me?"

 _'It sure is!'_ Finni said, from inside Rochelle's mind. _'You're now the official holder of the Mermaid Miraculous!'_

"Mermaid? Then where are my fins?" Rochelle asked.

 _'You're on land right now; once you get into the water, then you get your fins.'_ Finni explained.

"Gotcha..." Rochelle said, as she started to go into the water.

* * *

Back at another house in Paris, an older Chinese man was working on some of his Miraculous-related magic and ancient Chinese massages.

His kwami, Wayzz - a turtle-like being - sensed something, and his one antenna stood on end at sensing something.

"Master Fu!" Wayzz shouted, as he levitated over to his master in a hurry. "Finni's awakened!"

"Finni?" Master Fu asked, a little surprised at hearing this. "The kwami of the Mermaid Miraculous? But how? That miraculous has long thought to have disappeared during the 1213-1214 Anglo-French war."

"Apparently not, Master," Wayzz said, shaking his head. "But I sense that Finni is happy and is in good hands with whoever found her miraculous."

"That's good news, then," Master Fu said. "Hopefully Ladybug and Cat Noir can cooperate with this new teammate of theirs."

"We shall wait and see; since they had to deal with a phony Volpina, I am unsure of how they will react to this new arrival." Wayzz said.

"I can understand your concern," Master Fu said. "But we need to trust the young ones."

Meanwhile with Rochelle, she was still at the riverbank of the Seine and was contemplating going into the water.

 _'Don't hesitate! Go in!'_ Finni said, inside Rochelle's mind.

"Okay, then." Rochelle said, as she took a deep breath and dove into the water.

Opening her eyes underwater, Rochelle could see as clear as if she were wearing goggles. She smiled in awe of the beauty of the undersea scenery.

Rochelle then looked down to her feet and saw them glowing bright white. She witnessed her legs fuse together seamlessly and painlessly. She saw some fins growing, and then the glowing stopped. Rochelle's eyes widened to see that Finni was right - her legs were now a mermaid fin, in the matching color scheme, and ruffles at the waist-hip area.

 _'No need to hold your breath! You can breathe underwater as a mermaid!'_ Finni said, through Rochelle's mind.

Rochelle then began breathing regularly; Finni was again, correct.

"This is amazing! It feels so great!" Rochelle said, as she kept on swimming.

She surfaced and started swimming around, with her head above the water. Her smile was big and beautiful.

 _"Okay, get a grip! Get the hang of this flipper! It's like slipping two feet into one huge big slipper!"_ Rochelle began to sing, as she started to swim around.

 _"This way is left, now which way is right? Oh now I'll be circling in circles all night!"_ Rochelle sang, as she started swimming in circles while trying to get a feel for her new mermaid fin.

Diving down into the water, she started to swim freely.

 _"I can't believe I can do this and more! To swim in the Seine like I walk on the shore!"_ Rochelle sang, swimming as if she were dancing in the water.

 _"Out of my shell, not closed up like a clam!"_ Rochelle sang, while rising up to the surface; she breached the surface and held herself in the air for a few seconds. _"Look out, Paree! This is me! here I am!"_

Landing back in the water, Rochelle started to swim again.

 _"For a moment, all of me, is alive and at home, swimming free!"_ Rochelle sang, as she started to swim in circles while dancing and twirling like her dreams had her.

 _"I'm swirling and twirling, so graceful and grand; not stubbing my toes, getting stuck in the sand!"_ Rochelle sang, as she started to spun around in the water while holding the pectoral fins of a European smelt, spinning and dancing with it.

As she breached the water, she sang, _"For a moment, life is cool!"_

 _"I'm a splash in the world's biggest pool!"_ Rochelle sang. _"_ _This is more than my dreams ever dreamed it could be!"_

 _"For a moment, just a moment, lucky me!"_ Rochelle sang; after diving back in, Rochelle did tricks in the water, swimming in circles and flipping in the water, while she kept swimming, playing, and giggling.

Back at Rochelle's house, her mother took down a photograph of her, her husband, and Rochelle together; the photo was dated six years prior.

 _"If only for one moment, I had shared with you all I've known,"_ Marissa sang, as she looked at the trophies. _"Finni wouldn't be a mystery. Oh, why did he have to go?!"_

Back at the river, Rochelle was swimming with delight while seeing seagulls and other birds flying around.

 _"Everything is newer and brighter, and bluer!"_ Rochelle sang, before diving back under the water, and playing with the fish.

 _"And truer to life than before! Watch me soar!"_ Rochelle sang, as she started so swim in an acrobatic manner under the water.

 _"For a moment, I can shine! Got a grin and a fin that works fine! My fingers are wrinkly and I really don't care, if all of my curls have curled out of my hair!"_ Rochelle sang; she kept swimming, dancing, and playing with the sea life, while smoothing out her hair.

 _"For a moment, I can feel! All the dreams I've been dreaming are real!"_ Rochelle sang; she breached the water, and posed in mid-air while watching the scene in front of her.

Gripping her choker, she sang, _"Wish my father could see it; the Seine is my song. For a moment, just a moment, I belong!"_

She dove back into the water, before swimming again.

 _"Please come home soon, my darling. And the moment that you do; I'll hold you close, my sweet Rochelle. And sing the song of the Seine with you!"_ Marissa sang, while back at the house.

Rochelle kept swimming, while singing, _"For a moment, just a moment, I belong (Sing the song of the Seine with you)!"_

Once again, Rochelle breached the water in delight and giggled with joy. She was happy that her new powers were giving her such a beautiful chance to be a mermaid.

* * *

At a certain building that had a bakery, one girl was sitting in the living room, all by herself, while her parents were working in the bakery. It was Marinette; her parents Tom and Sabine were working in the bakery while she was watching TV.

"Marinette," A red creature said; it was a kwami, who was red with black spots. "Your homework is done and nothing seems wrong in Paris right now, so I think a little relaxation is what you need."

"Thanks, Tikki," Marinette said. "And it was really refreshing seeing someone stand up to Chloe without holding back back there at school. Rochelle was great!"

"Not like Lila," Tikki said. "Remember _that_?"

"Yeah..." Marinette said, her expression falling. "I should have just let her get caught in her lies - maybe we wouldn't have run into such a near-disaster."

"You nearly gave up your earrings!" Tikki said. "You need to stop misusing your powers whenever Adrien is involved. It's already caused trouble three times."

"You're right, Tikki," Marinette said, realizing Tikki was telling the truth. "... As much as I love Adrien, I can't let that cloud my judgement as Ladybug anymore."

Just then, the TV changed the channel and the news came up. Nadja Chamak in the news corner.

"We interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring this report: pedestrians have reported a mermaid in the river Seine!" Nadja said, as footage of the river came up and saw Rochelle swimming in the river.

Marinette's eyes widened and Tikki got a closer look.

"While this speculated 'mermaid' does appear harmless, it is unknown how long she has been in the river; it is thought that she only arrived recently, perhaps maybe a day or two ago, and just decided to play. No evidence or behavior of this 'mermaid' suggests that this is merely a girl who has been akumatized. Citizens are asked to maintain considerable distance regardless." Nadja said, as the footage of Rochelle swimming kept playing.

"Marinette, pause it!" Tikki said.

Marinette immediately hit the pause button when a scene that got a closer look at the choker popped up.

"See that choker?" Tikki asked, pointing out the choker.

"Yes! That must be where her akuma is! Tikki, spots -" Marinette began.

"No! That choker is the Mermaid Miraculous!" Tikki said, stopping Marinette in her tracks.

"Mermaid Miraculous?" Marinette asked, as she stopped her transformation call. "How come Master Fu never brought it up?"

"Because he thought it vanished during the Anglo-French war of 1213-1214," Tikki said. "Finni - the kwami of the Mermaid Miraculous - hasn't been awake in over eight-hundred years!"

"But the girl looks familiar..." Marinette said.

"Regardless, you have a new teammate! Unlike that Volpina mishap, at least this time she's someone you can trust and not an akuma victim! We need to have you go seek her out!" Tikki said. "She's a new friend! Go and meet her!"

"But wouldn't that just catch her off-guard? Shouldn't we wait until we know what she's capable of in terms of powers when we have an actual akuma to deal with?" Marinette asked.

"Good point," Tikki said. "But it wouldn't surprise me if your new classmate became the holder of the Mermaid Miraculous."

"You mean it's possible for Rochelle to be that mermaid? Being a champion swimmer, it makes sense." Marinette said, as she sat back down on the couch.

* * *

Back with Adrien, he had seen the whole report on the TV in his bedroom. Needless to say, he and Plagg were shocked to see it.

"The Mermaid Miraculous appears NOW of all times?" Plagg said, munching on camembert.

"A Mermaid Miraculous? So that mermaid is just another Miraculous holder?" Adrien asked, as he paused the TV.

"Yeah, but that Miraculous hasn't been awakened in over eight-hundred years," Plagg nonchalantly said, as he ate the last of his camembert in one bite. "The fact that's it's waking up NOW is weird, but at least we don't have a repeat of the Volpina mishap."

"That's good," Adrien said. "A fake Miraculous holder is one thing. If this mermaid is the real thing, then we gotta find her."

"We don't want to scare her off, Adrien!" Plagg said. "I think it might be best to lure her out. Let's just wait for an akuma to take to the water."

"Wait for someone to get akumatized and then use the water to fight against us?" Adrien asked.

"Right." Plagg said, as he and Adrien continued to watch the news.

* * *

Back at the river, Rochelle surface and took in some air. She looked around and saw people with their phones out and clamoring about her.

"Oh, no!" Rochelle said, before diving back under the water.

She continued swimming at a considerable depth at the river, trying not to be noticed. She tried to look around for somewhere to end the transformation.

 _'Rather than just scrambling to look for a place to hide, why not wait it out, Rochelle?'_ Finni asked.

"Probably a good idea." Rochelle said, before stopping her swimming. She waited about five minutes, and then tried to surface once again.

She did not see anyone, and then decided to play it safe with another tactic. Rochelle dove back under the water, and made her way under the bridge. She found what seemed to be a riverbank, and then she jumped out of the water. As she made to land on the sand, her fin turned back into two legs, and then she landed.

"Finni, gills off." Rochelle said; just then, Finni came out of the choker and Rochelle turned back to normal, clothes and all.

Finni landed in Rochelle's hands before saying, "We need to be more careful of our surroundings when we transform in the future; this is sure to cause a media uproar with all of those bystanders around."

"That's the truth," Rochelle said. "We'd better get home before mom gets wind of 'the mermaid in the Seine' - come on."

Finni hid underneath Rochelle's hair before trying to find a discreet way to get back home safely.

Once Rochelle got back home, she saw her mother had turned off the TV.

"Don't tell me..." Rochelle said.

"Yes," Marissa said. "Bystanders saw you as a mermaid and now it's all over the news."

"Hopefully it will die down when or if I get to join Ladybug and Cat Noir on a mission. Until then, no more swimming in the Seine unless it's an emergency." Rochelle said.

"Good," Marissa said. "And if its brought up at school, don't engage unless they engage you."

"Thanks; good advice," Rochelle said, before sitting at the table. "If an opportunity arises, I'll jump in and help Ladybug and Cat Noir."

"None of the monsters, from what I've seen, go into the river. Looks like you'll have to lay low until one akuma victim actually DOES go to the water." Marissa said.

Rochelle sighed, knowing her mother had a point. It was meaningless having a mermaid heroine if she could not take to the water as mermaids do. She decided that until that day came, no more swimming as her mermaid self.

* * *

 **Okay, that's a wrap for chapter one! I hope you all liked it, if at all. I'm going to try to keep everyone in character, and I'm going to make sure Rochelle gives Chloe a big dose of reality-checks. We'll find out more about Rochelle in the next chapter.**

 **But I need an idea for an Akuma that can take to the water and give Rochelle a chance to show Ladybug and Cat Noir what she can do. I hope you can help.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Time for Rochelle to take the stage on the** **battlefield of Paris, both as a mermaid and as herself! First off, she reveals that she has more of a spine than most people when it comes to dealing with Chloe and finally gives her the cold-hard truth about her behavior - not to mention a really good way to fight back should Chloe try and call in 'daddy'! Rochelle also reveals that she's capable of more than just breathing and seeing clearly in the water.**

* * *

It had been about two weeks since Rochelle had become a mermaid through Finni, and since then, any and all akumas that caused trouble were land-bound. She wanted to show up and help Ladybug and Cat Noir. However, she felt that the best way to show them what she was capable of was when they were at a disadvantage with a water-adept villain.

There had been a few akuma attacks, but nothing that warranted Rochelle to take to the water.

Doing some research, Rochelle learned that ladybugs are actually capable of swimming, but since they were insects, they would not last long in the water without air. And as far as Rochelle knew, cats being adverse to water - minus large wildcats, such as jaguars - was common knowledge and just a fact.

Rochelle was at her locker at school, putting away some of her books; out from under her hair on her neck came Finni, who checked to see if the coast was clear.

"Rochelle," Finni said. "I know your mom told you to keep a low profile until a water-adept akuma victim showed up, but it's been two weeks; shouldn't one have shown up by now?"

"Quiet, Finni," Rochelle said, in a whisper. "There's no telling who's within earshot. But I can't control who gets akumatized and when; from what I've heard, that's Hawkmoth's thing, and we can't really just ask him to create a water akuma."

"Can't argue with that; I'm just getting anxious to have you strut - er, swim - your stuff." Finni said.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rochelle saw someone coming, and said, "Finni, back in the hair."

Finni immediately flew underneath the hair on Rochelle's neck, before the latter went back to doing her thing.

As soon as Rochelle got to class, she took her seat near Marinette and Alya.

"How are you this morning?" Alya asked.

"I'm fine. So, Marinette's early for once?" Rochelle joked.

"I know; crazy, right?" Marinette asked.

The trio started to laugh; about a few seconds later, in came Adrien and Nino.

Rochelle noticed that as soon as Adrien walked in, Marinette clammed up and got even sillier than normal.

"Um, Alya, about Marinette... Are she and Adrien...?" Rochelle whispered.

"Oh, she's totally smitten with him, but as you can see, she can be quite klutzy when he's around." Alya said.

"Yeah," Marinette admitted. "And if you're a girl, you _really_ can't get close to him when Chloe's around."

"Bourgeois?" Rochelle asked.

"Those two are childhood friends," Alya explained. "Try to get close to Adrien and Chloe will go mad."

"With her behavior, I'm surprised Adrien hasn't just told her 'no' yet. A childhood friend doesn't treat her pal's inner circle like trash." Rochelle said.

"That's the truth; in the beginning, he wouldn't really say anything, but now he's stopped making excuses for her." Marinette said.

"Good thing, too." Rochelle said, shaking her head.

The door to the classroom opened, and speak of the devil, Chloe and Sabrina came in. Rochelle narrowed her eyes at the rich girl, before holding her cheek in her hand. Rochelle was yet another person who felt Chloe needed a dose of karma and needed it fast.

"Well, if it isn't the American girl." Chloe said, as she went to her seat.

"My name is Rochelle. Rochelle DeL'eau. Use it." Rochelle said, turning her face away.

Everyone in the room gasped. Before Rochelle came along, no one - minus Madame Mendeleiev - had spoken with that tone to Chloe.

Chloe then approached Rochelle, not paying Marinette or Alya any mind. Rochelle looked up, and narrowed her eyes a bit.

"What do you want, Bourgeois?" Rochelle asked, sardonically.

Alya and Marinette smiled when they heard this.

"Call me Chloe," Chloe said. "Everyone does."

"Trying to throw that back into my face, huh? Not taking it." Rochelle said, rolling her eyes.

"Come on; even someone as stupid and klutzy as Marinette can at least use my first name." Chloe said, rolling her eyes.

Rochelle once again stood up and slammed her hand on the table, before glaring at Chloe.

"Don't you _dare_ call Marinette stupid! That's rude! Didn't your parents raise you with any manners, Miss Upper Crust?" Rochelle barked.

"Daddy raised me in the lap of luxury; something YOU probably wouldn't know. Only Adrikins here can understand. Daddy can give me whatever I want and make things go my way all the time..." Chloe began, before prattling on.

Rochelle cracked and shouted, "At least you _HAVE_ a dad! Don't take it for granted! My father's been out of the picture for over six years! If you're going to talk, keep your trash talk to yourself!"

Rochelle then ran out of the classroom, about to cry from the humiliation.

"That wasn't cool, Chloe." Marinette said.

"What? I was just telling her..." Chloe began, but then Adrien stood up and looked her in the eye.

"Marinette's right; that was NOT okay, Chloe. You know what they say: 'if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all'." Adrien said, firmly.

Chloe backed off in shock.

Rochelle was at her locker, crying quietly, as she tried to calm down before going back to class.

Hearing footsteps, Rochelle looked in their direction to see Alya and Marinette; they had come to check up on her.

"You okay?" Alya asked.

"I'll be fine," Rochelle said, as she wiped away her tears. "That girl crossed the line."

"Sounds like she touched a nerve when it came to fathers." Marinette said.

Rochelle nodded.

"Come on, girl," Alya said. "The way you called Chloe out back there was top-notch. I don't think anyone has your spine."

"Thanks." Rochelle said, as she sighed to calm down.

"By the way, Rochelle," Marinette said, as she and Rochelle shared a high-five. "Thanks for coming to our defense."

"You've been there for me since day one. It's the least I could do." Rochelle said, with a smile.

"So, I heard your mom's a powerful lawyer," Alya said, as the girls started to go back to their classroom. "This reporter needs to get the deets."

"Yes, she's a very well-reputed lawyer, being able to win cases against the most powerful of people; if you need someone to take your case, I can offer her services. She's had my back, but I've never had to have her take a situation to court; we know better than that." Rochelle explained.

"Having a lawyer like your mom on our side can really come in handy if Chloe starts crossing the line." Marinette said.

"I guess." Rochelle said.

"While we're on the subject of family, Marinette's parents own a bakery; best bread in Paris, I'll tell ya!" Alya said.

"Marlena Cesaire, Alya's mother, is a chef, too," Marinette said, as they entered the classroom, and went back to their seats. "Works at Le Grand Paris."

"My father Otis works at the zoo." Alya said.

"Father..." Rochelle said, a little distantly.

"Speaking of dads, what about yours, Rochelle? I know you said something about him being out of the picture, but...?" Marinette asked.

"...Gone." Rochelle muttered.

"Huh?" The girls asked.

"...Prostate cancer." Rochelle said, sadly.

The girls looked at each other, and then they got the picture.

Their teacher came in and they all listened up for the lesson, with Rochelle trying to put her earlier interaction with Chloe behind her.

* * *

Meanwhile, out on the river, one of the tour boats on the river was going about its usual routine and sailing on the water. The crew was doing their job, cleaning the decks and the boat's rooms, too. The captain was up at the steering wheel, steering the boat.

His first mate, a woman about his age, was near one of the decks, and she soon saw that there was a dock up ahead; she noticed the boat was too close to it, and she ran up to the cockpit to warn the captain.

"Captain! Steer the boat a little to the left! We're too close to a dock, and it has oil barrels on it!" She said.

"Miranda, that's ridiculous," The captain said. "In my entire career, I have never run aground a boat."

"You need to trust me on this!" Miranda protested, feeling like she was getting ignored. "I'm your First Mate!"

"Just because you're my first mate doesn't mean you're right," The captain said. "The boat is staying on course."

"No! We have to steer!" Miranda protested again. "Or we'll knock oil into the river!"

"Silly girl," The captain said, as he turned away from the wheel and looked at her. "Since when have you ever been right about these things?"

"Every time." Miranda said, putting a hand to her face.

"No, _I'm_ the one usually right," The captain said. "So..."

*CRACK!* *CRASH* *SPLASH*

Miranda, afraid that her hunch was correct, ran out to the deck, and she saw that her fears were right: because the captain neglected to listen to her warnings, the dock was not only broken, but the oil had spilled into the water of the river. The dockhands were shouting in anger and frustration at having crude oil in the river. They were shouting up at the boat in anger.

"What did I tell you?!" Miranda shouted at the captain. The captain came out and saw the damage.

"Why didn't you tell me the dock and oil was there?" The captain shouted at Miranda.

"I beg your pardon?! I _DID_ tell you!" Miranda shouted, in anger.

"This is why I always regretted taking you on as my first mate," The captain said. "Just like always, you never tell me important things, and it leads to accidents like this!"

"But I DID tell you!" Miranda said, about to cry. "You ignored me YET AGAIN! You _never_ listen to me! You never _believe me!_ If _anyone_ should be the captain of this boat, it should be ME!"

The captain merely turned up his nose and said, "Go and clean up that oil mess down there, and don't you come back up on this ship until every drop of oil is out of that water."

" _YOU_ should be doing that, captain!" Miranda protested. " YOU'RE the one who was steering the ship and ignored my warnings!"

"Just get cleaning." The captain said, before walking away.

Miranda, about to cry, said, "FINE! If you think I'm that lousy of a first mate, then I'm not coming back!"

Miranda ran off the boat; she went to the docks to apologize to the dockhands. She picked up the materials needed to clean the oil out of the river. However, she kept crying and sobbing from not being trusted and ignored, even when she turned out to be correct.

Back in a tower with a window in the middle of the city, a window opened up. A man in a mask and wearing a cane, surrounded by white butterflies was looking out the window.

"Angry and distraught at being distrusted and not given credit for being correct about an observation. Emotions like that are a feast for my akumas." The man, Hawkmoth, said.

As a white butterfly landed in his hand. Black energy absorbed into his hand, and then when he lifted his hand up, the butterfly turned black with purple accents.

"Fly away my little akuma, and help this poor sailor girl get the credit she deserves." Hawkmoth said.

As Miranda had the mop in her hand, and wiping oil up from the water, she kept crying. The akuma landed on the mop, and then Miranda looked up, her face red in a butterfly shape. A purple light outline in the same shape appeared on her face.

 _"Oil Spill. I'm Hawkmoth. In return for helping you get revenge on that imbecilic captain and get some much-deserved credit for your capabilities, I want you to obtain Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous."_

"I'll do whatever you ask of me." Miranda said.

Black 'bubbles' surrounded her. When she emerged, her hair became long, black, and resembled crude oil, with oil in her hair, too. She was wearing a captain's uniform in purple with black accents, had her mop in hand, saturated in crude oil, and her skin was a pale gray color with oil splatters all over her and her uniform, while her face still had the black butterfly.

Laughing manically, Oil Spill then started shooting blasts of petroleum into the water of the river, and on the roads of the city. She was reveling in her newfound power and her abilities to create mayhem and madness wherever she went. She started covering Paris in crude oil.

Meanwhile, during lunch break, Rochelle decided to go to the Dupain-Cheng bakery with Marinette and Alya.

"Thanks for inviting me to the bakery, Marinette," Rochelle said. "It's certainly better than eating lunch alone at my house. Mom works long hours, so lunch is lonely these days."

"I can imagine," Alya said. "But the desserts that Marinette's parents make are the bomb!"

"I'm sure they will be; certainly better than what Chloe would offer." Rochelle said.

"My mom makes great food." Alya protested.

"I was referring to the company, not the cuisine, Alya," Rochelle said. "I still can't wait to eat at the Dupain-Cheng bakery!"

As the girls were laughing and smiling, they all stopped when something was beginning to stink - literally.

"Yuck, is that gasoline?" Alya asked.

Coughing heavily, Rochelle said, "Smells like it. Maybe a gas leak somewhere?"

"Hello, citizens of Paris!" A voice shouted. The girls looked up and saw Oil Spill on her boat on the river. "Oil Spill here, ready to cause mayhem and messes with my oil! Bring it on, Ladybug and Cat Noir! I can really give you _the slip_! Hahah!"

She used her mop to shoot oil at the three girls.

"Split up and run for cover!" Marinette shouted. The trio ran and started to run for cover.

Marinette ducked behind a tree and then she let out a red creature with black spots - her Kwami, Tikki.

"Tikki, Spots On!" Marinette called; she activated her miraculous and then Tikki entered her earrings.

Marinette formed a red mask with black spots on her face, and then a matching body suit with a black neck, and a yo-yo in the same design on her waist appeared. She posed, ready to go as Ladybug.

Ladybug then used her yo-yo to try and zip-line her way to Oil Spill; however, she failed to get any traction with her yo-yo string. As a result, when she tried to grab onto something, her yoyo merely came back, covered in oil.

"Ew." Ladybug said, as she tried to shake the oil off.

Rochelle, meanwhile, had ducked away elsewhere.

"Another akuma attack?! Oil Spill, huh...? Considering the fact that she's based on an environmental disaster, I think it's safe to say that this villain may be good in the water." Rochelle said, as Finni came out from under her hair.

"Then gills on, Rochelle!" Finni said.

"Not yet," Rochelle said. "If Cat Noir and Ladybug can handle this, then let them."

Speaking of whom, in another part of the city nearby, Adrien was once again in his limo, on his way home, with the Gorilla - as Adrien called him - driving, as always.

However, the gorilla failed to see Oil Spill nearby; she shot a black of oil onto the road, and it caused the limo to swerve - the Gorilla lost control of his steering.

"AHH! What's going on?!" Adrien shouted, as he tried to hang on; try as the Gorilla might, the car crashed into a wall.

The airbags for the driver were activated; luckily for Adrien, he was fully intact.

He unbuckled and ducked out of the limo, before going to find someplace discreet to hide.

"Come on, Adrien! It's only some oil." Plagg complained.

"No time for whining! Plagg, Claws Out!" Adrien shouted, as he showed his ring.

Plagg entered the ring, and then Adrien formed his mask on his face, turning his green eyes into a more cat-like version of them. He formed hair clips that looked like cat ears on his head, and then his body suit and tail appeared, including cat-like gloves and silver boots, and a belt-like tail. He posed, and then he started to run.

However, all of the oil on the ground caused him to slip and slide. He literally slid into a wall, nearby Ladybug.

"I thought cats were always able to keep good traction," Ladybug said, smiling playfully. "Not so much today, huh, Cat Noir?"

"Very funny, m'ladybug," Cat Noir said, standing up and twirling his baton. "But it seems like Oil Spill is giving you the slip, huh?"

"For once, you made a good joke," Ladybug said. "Now let's get to it!"

As the two started to fight, albeit with difficulty, Rochelle started to take a good look at the surrounding areas.

"There's crude oil everywhere. Ugh, the smell is sickening." Rochelle said, covering her mouth and nose. Finni had the same reaction.

"I can see it in the river, too!" Finni said.

"It's not too bad, and I can see that Oil Spill is distracted... Maybe I can bide those two some time, or..." Rochelle began; she took off to the riverbank and made to get ready.

Oil Spill kept playing around and was laughing her head off at seeing Ladybug and Cat Noir slipping and sliding.

"Talk about slick." Cat Noir said, as slid around, and managed to grab on to a lightest; he grabbed Ladybug's hand and managed to hold her up.

"Hahaha! So, how does this sound? I'll clean up this mess if you relinquish your Miraculous to moi!" Oil Spill said, as she approached Ladybug and Cat Noir.

"In your dreams, Oil Spill!" Ladybug declared.

"Okay, then. Then how does a gasp of GAS sound?!" Oil Spill declared. Spinning her mop akin to Cat Noir's baton, she blew a gust of wind that was really propane at Ladybug and Cat Noir.

As they were blown back, they landed on a puddle of oil, and they sat up, gasping for breathe and coughing from the stink of the propane gas.

"What's the matter? Can't take a little oil?" Oil Spill asked, teasingly. "Hand over your Miraculous, and your lungs will be safe."

As the two tried to regain their air, they stood up, and this time, they made an effort to stand on a part of the ground that did not have any oil.

"You've got an odor problem, Oily!" Cat Noir said, albeit gaspingly.

"Just like that captain has an issue with the brain. So, how about another Oil Slide?!" Oil Spill shouted, as she then blasted more oil at the pair. They jumped out of the way.

Ladybug used her yoyo to grab Oil Spill by her feet, but the oil on her feet caused Ladybug's yoyo to lose its grip.

Ladybug then fell into the oil face-first, and started to slide around; Cat Noir tried to hit Oil Spill from behind, but then she used her mop to knock him to the ground, too. The two teen heroes started sliding around and bumping into each other like a pinball machine.

Oil Spill kept laughing and giggling at the sight of the two heroes being so clumsy.

 _"Excellent, Oil Spill!"_ Hawkmoth said, telepathically.

"Well, since you two are so busy sliding around, I'll go slip over to see how the Captain is doing!" Oil Spill cackled, before conjuring up a speedboat made of solid oil, and then she sped off down the river in it.

"Captain?" Ladybug asked. She then remembered a detail on Miranda. "That hat she's wearing! It's from a cruise team here in Paris! She must be after their captain!"

"Let's go, LB!" Cat Noir said; he took Ladybug's hand, and used his other one to use his baton to raise them up higher so they would get to ground that was not covered in oil.

As they started to hop around the rooftops, Ladybug used her yo-yo to catch up with Oil Spill.

As Ladybug and Cat Noir were trying to gain on Oil Spill, they noticed that she was heading for a larger cruise ship on the river.

"Hope you can deal with water today, Cat Noir!" Ladybug said, as she used her yo-yo to latch onto the motor of the speedboat.

"What do you mea - AAAAH!" Cat Nori screamed; Ladybug had grabbed onto him and they were impromptu water skiing. Cat Noir was not happy with getting wet.

Rochelle had made it to the river bank, and then she saw Oil Spill speeding down the river.

"Finni, gills on!" Rochelle shouted, as she rubbed the shell on her choker.

The shell turned from sandy pink to sea foam green. Finni then entered the shell on the choker. With a look of awe and surprise on her face, Rochelle's clothes disappeared in a wave of light.

Her body was given a bleu de France body suit that had scales sparkling in periwinkle with hints of sea foam green in the light. Her face was given a mask in a matching scheme; her chest was given a periwinkle-sea foam green seashell bra and her hair was put up in a braid, fastened with a matching scallop shell. Her feet were given flats. Her ankles were given loose ruffled fabric that were also blue de France with the periwinkle sparkle affect; same with her wrists, waist and hips. On her waist was a scallop-shell in the same color scheme, with a string.

Rochelle dove in head-first into the river, trying to avoid the oily parts, and then she gained her fin. She started to swim down the river at top speed, trying to catch up to Oil Spill.

However, Oil Spill noticed that Ladybug and Cat Noir were latched on to her, and then she splashed some oil on the string. The string lost its grip, and then the two heroes fell into the water.

As they surfaced, they started to cough and gasp for air from the surface. Ladybug was doing fine - in real life, ladybugs can swim - while Cat Noir was not enjoying the experience.

Rochelle noticed the pair, and then she swam over to them. She used her arms to lift them up and then she started to swim to the banks with them in tow.

Rochelle then put them on the riverbank. She made some distance in the water, and then she saw the two of them look at her.

"You two okay?" Rochelle asked, albeit a bit tiredly - the oil was giving her breathing problems.

"We're fine," Ladybug said. "We'll get acquainted with you later."

She stood up and watched as Oil Spill sped down the river, trailing oil as she went; Cat Noir also stood up.

"The akuma must be in the mop! We need to catch up to her." Ladybug said.

"But how?" Cat Noir asked.

"Leave it to me," Rochelle said. "I can swim after her; she won't be able to give me the slip so easily since I'm in the water."

Rochelle then dove back under the water, and started to swim even faster than normal. While trying to breathe the water that was not contaminated, she kept flipping her fin in hopes of increasing her speed.

 _'Come on, come on! I gotta go faster! Ugh, the stench of that petroleum is making it next-to-impossible to breathe!'_ Rochelle thought, as she surfaced for air.

She took a giant gulp of air and then she dove back down; she flipped her fin even harder, and then she started going as fast as a sailfish, if not faster, in a fairly long period of time. As she saw the motor propeller of the boat getting closer, she focused harder on the goal: stopping Oil Spill.

"I hope that mermaid can catch up to Oil Spill." Cat Noir said.

"I agree; let's tail them from land in the meantime." Ladybug said, as she used her yoyo to zipline to the boat.

Meanwhile, the ship's captain was whistling as he kept leisurely steering the ship. He seemed fine with the fact that his First Mate was absent, and he smiled contently.

"Captain!" One of the cabin boys shouted, as he came into the cockpit. "We have a foreign speedboat gaining on us! The captain claims to be after you!"

"After me?" The captain asked; he came to the stern of the boat and then he used his telescope to see Oil Spill and her boat, with the oil trailing behind her.

He failed to notice Rochelle in the water, as did Oil Spill. Oil Spill, eying the captain, then created a jet of oil to propel herself onto the deck. She held her mop up to the captain, and she sneered.

"Mi-Miranda?" The captain asked.

"The name's Oil Spill now, guppy! Your seafaring days are over, _captain_. _I'm_ in charge now, so you're now demoted to CABIN BOY!" Oil Spill shouted, as she blasted the captain with oil.

As soon as the captain hit the wall and smacked his head, Oil Spill tied him up in ropes she made of petroleum plastic. All of the sulfur dioxide and other air impurities were like oxygen to Oil Spill, but they were toxic to the captain or anyone else.

Down near the hull of the boat, Rochelle surfaced near the cruise ship, once again seeing how much oil would begin dripping off the boat. She saw the anchor was about to drop, and then she dove back down.

After a few seconds, she breached the water and rose high enough to reach the anchor. She did a forward flip and slapped the anchor down with her fin. Rochelle dove back down in the water and then she hooked the anchor onto a rock.

Rising back up to the surface, she saw Oil Spill was getting closer to the edge of the boat deck. Noticing the seashell on her waist, Rochelle took a hold of it and she looked at it curiously. She opened it up and saw a screen open. A ladybug symbol started to appear on the screen, and then Ladybug's face appeared.

"Hi, it's me," Rochelle said. "I just stopped the boat by dropping the anchor. Oil Spill is about to fall overboard. Hurry and take her out!"

"Thanks!" Ladybug said. "Stand by just in case."

"No problem. Just be careful; all of the fumes from the oil is really started to get to me and it's very thick, so watch it." Rochelle said.

"Thanks for the warning." Ladybug said, before hanging up.

Rochelle kept her head above water as she closed her seashell phone and then she kept quiet.

As Ladybug and Cat Noir made their way to the boat, they used their respective weapons to get onto the deck where the captain and Oil Spill were.

"So, looks like you got your footing; hand over your Miraculous before you asphyxiate!" Oil Spill demanded.

"We'll do nothing of the sort!" Ladybug said, albeit she began coughing on the smell.

"Cataclysm!" Cat noir shouted, as he activated his cataclysm, and then he tried to go after Oil Spill's mop, but then he slipped on some oil, stumbled around, and then he accidentally hit the anchor's chain.

Seeing this, Rochelle gasped as her eyes went wide. She dove under the water, and then she saw that the anchor had rotted away.

"Oh, snap!" Rochelle shouted, before coughing. She looked up and saw the boat continued moving again. "What am I gonna do?!"

 _'Rochelle, use your seashell! You can conjure up any sea creature you want! But remember, after that, you have five minutes before you change back! Call out 'Sea Creature Call', then the animal you want to come and help you.'_ Finni said.

"Okay! Sea Creature Call!" Rochelle shouted, as she opened up her seashell and then she had a choice of many sea animals that could survive in the river. "Bull Sharks!"

Out of nowhere, a pack of bull sharks appeared in the water nearby. They were smiling at Rochelle.

"Need help, missy?" The biggest of the sharks asked.

"Wait, you can talk?" Rochelle asked.

 _'Rochelle, you're a mermaid when your miraculous is activated, legs or fins; you can talk to sea animals like you can talk to humans.'_ Finni informed.

"Okay, then," Rochelle said. "Yes, I need some help. We have a nutcase up top who can control petroleum, and it's already in the water here. I need you to get close enough to the surface to be seen to scare her into staying on the ship so she doesn't escape. Play up your aggressiveness to its highest and pretend you want to attack the ship. I know sharks in general don't like being misunderstood, but..."

"No problem," The lead shark said. "We're happy to help; anything to get this stink out of the water."

"Agreed." Rochelle said.

As the sharks started to swim up to the surface, Rochelle saw that one of the ridges on her seashell choker went from sandy pink to silver again. She knew that her timer was getting low.

Back up on the surface, the sharks started circling the boat and gnashing their teeth while growling and breaching the water. Cat Noir saw them and scrambled back.

"SHARKS!" Cat Noir shouted.

"Sharks? Are you serious?!" Oil Spill shouted, as she began to freak out and panic.

Ladybug looked over the deck and saw that sharks were in the river, and she saw Rochelle down there, giving her a thumb's up.

Ladybug smiled and then she took out her yoyo.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called, as she shot her yoyo in the air. She conjured up a giant red jug with black spots that had the chemical formula LN2 on it. Ladybug caught it, and then she looked confused.

"Liquid Nitrogen? What am I supposed to do with this?" She asked.

With Cat Noir sliding around and running out of time before releasing his transformation, and Rochelle in the water, Ladybug was at a bit of a loss as to what to do.

Rochelle shouted from below, "Freeze the oil! It won't turn completely solid, but it WILL thicken up enough so that it can't lubricate anything!"

Hearing Rochelle from below, Ladybug smiled and then she opened the jug and then poured the liquid nitrogen all over the oil on the ground and on the mop. Oil Spill tried to shoot oil again, but all she got was a thick liquid, like molasses, and then as she got all sticky and continued stumbling around, she managed to get closer to the edge of the deck.

Rochelle then breached the water, and then she slapped Oil Spill with her tail, before shouting, "Take her out, Ladybug! Get the mop!"

Ladybug snagged the mop, broke it, and then released the akuma.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma!" Ladybug said, as she opened up her yoyo again. "Time to de-evilize!"

She caught the akuma, and then she purified it before releasing it. "Bye bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!"

Tossing the jug into the air, a wave of red washed over Paris, resetting everything like nothing happened. Even the water and the streets were completely free of petroleum.

Oil Spill changed back into Miranda, and then she sat up.

"Pound It!" Ladybug and Cat Noir said, while giving each other a fist bump.

"We really have to give that mermaid some credit. She really knew what she was doing." Ladybug said.

"I couldn't agree more," Cat Noir said, but then he noticed the ring was almost void of pads. "Oops, better go!"

Cat Noir then started hoping away and then Ladybug smiled. She looked into the water; the sharks were gone, but Rochelle was still there.

Seeing the number of ridges on her choker, she merely waved 'farewell' to Ladybug and then dove back under the water.

Back with Hawkmoth...

"NO! This was supposed to be the slip I needed to give Ladybug and Cat Noir to get my goal! If not for that meddling mermaid...!" Hawkmoth griped.

Rochelle was swimming frantically, trying to get some privacy for her to change back. She then went under the bridge, leaped out of the water a little bit, and then her tail turned into legs again. She landed on the bank, and said, "Gills off."

Finni released the transformation, and then landed in her hands.

"Want some saltines?" Rochelle said, as she gave Finni a few crackers to eat.

"You did great work out there today, Rochelle!" Finni said. "I'm sure Ladybug and Cat Noir want to meet you soon!"

"I hope so." Rochelle said, as she looked up to the sky to see Ladybug zip-lining away.

* * *

After school that day, Rochelle was looking around on the Ladyblog.

"I'm sure your mom is proud of you for today, Rochelle." Finni said.

"Yeah... If he were still here, I'm sure my dad would be proud, too." Rochelle said, her eyes a little misty.

"He passed away, right?" Finni asked.

"Yes. Well... My father was quite the athlete; being a champion swimmer, you'd think he'd be healthier than a horse. But... He got prostate cancer, and..." Rochelle began, but then she started to tear up at the memory.

Rochelle stopped speaking, and turned back to the Ladyblog. She kept scrolling around the blog when a post by Alya caught her eye: 'Missing Mermaid'

The post was basically just a message from Ladybug and Cat Noir asking for the mermaid in question to meet them at the river at around 7PM that night. Rochelle looked at her clock and saw that it was quarter of seven and thus she had to hurry.

Rochelle ran out the door with Finni in tow. She ran down to the river, trying to stay out of Ladybug and Cat Noir's sight, and then she hid under the bridge.

"Finni, Gills On!" Rochelle said; she transformed, and then she jumped into the river.

She started to swim in the river, and then she saw Ladybug and Cat Noir waiting on the riverbank nearby. She surfaced, and then swam closer to the pair.

"You called?" Rochelle asked.

"Yes," Ladybug said. "Thanks for today. If not for you, I probably would never have figured out what to do with my Lucky Charm."

"Yeah, you really saved our skin today," Cat Noir said. "I messed up with my Cataclysm, but you were there to help. We appreciate it."

"It's no problem," Rochelle said. "I just wanted to help."

"We've been looking for you since we heard that news report a few weeks ago." Ladybug said.

"Oh, you did?" Rochelle asked, shrinking back.

"Yeah, but we knew you were one of us," Ladybug said, as she walked closer and knelt down, and extended her hand. "Welcome to the team."

Rochelle smiled, and then she shook Ladybug's hand, saying, "Oh, thank you so much! I've been a fan of you guys, and I've wanted to help, but I never knew how."

"Well, looks like Hawkmoth is getting a little more clever with his villains," Cat Noir said, before shivering. "After all, cats and water DO NOT mix."

"Ladybugs can swim, though," Ladybug said, coyly. "Anyway, with Hawkmoth making villains that are more adept in the water, having you on our team can really come in handy."

"Thanks," Rochelle said. "During patrols, I can search for trouble from the river."

"That's great," Cat Noir said. "Better a fish than a cat."

Rochelle and Ladybug groaned at that comment.

"Okay, since we need to get going soon, we just want to know one thing." Ladybug asked.

"Yes?" Rochelle asked.

"What's your name?" Ladybug asked.

"Ro... Siren. My name is Siren." Rochelle said, coming up with a name on the fly.

"Welcome, Siren. I'd shake hands, but I don't like getting my paws wet." Cat Noir said, chuckling.

"I hope to see you soon." Rochelle, now going by Siren, said, as she dove under the water, leaving her new teammates behind.

As Siren soon made some distance and watched Ladybug and Cat Noir take their leave, she started to smile brightly and she began to sing.

 _"I don't know when... I don't know how... But I know something's starting right now! Watch dad, and see... Now I can be... Part of their... Team~!"_ Siren began, before breaching the water in delight.

* * *

Once the storm regarding the mermaid being a super heroine died down, things started getting back to normal. Rochelle still had to deal with Chloe trying to 'befriend' her and trying to keep a low profile as Siren.

It was another day at school for the mermaid in disguise.

"Well, looks like another uneventful day in the life of Rochelle De'Leau." Finni said.

"Quiet, Finni!" Rochelle said, as she stuffed a saltine in her kwami's face.

"Sorry." Finni said, albeit a bit muffled with her mouth full.

"I just hope that Chloe doesn't try anything again; seeing her act all entitled and spoiled is very annoying." Rochelle said, with a sigh.

"Indeed." Finni said, after swallowing her saltine.

After getting her books from her locker, she started to walk to class. However, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Turning around, she saw Chloe, looking smug as always, and Sabrina, meek as ever.

"Can I help you?" Rochelle asked, raising an eyebrow. "You'd better not be here to insult me for not having my father in my life."

"Having a parent out of the picture is actually something you and I have in common. As such, I was hoping you'd like to join Sabrina and me for lunch today. Daddy had the best beef tenderloin dishes catered from Le Grand Paris," Chloe said. "Certainly better than whatever Marinette or Alya would have to offer."

"Eat lunch with you? After the way you treated me yesterday?" Rochelle asked, incredulous.

"Of course." Chloe said.

At that point, Rochelle had had enough of Chloe's behavior, and decided to rip her a new one right then and there.

"Chloe... Your offer is generous, but I wouldn't really want to associate myself with humanoid ocean trash." Rochelle said.

"Huma- WHAT?!" Chloe asked, shocked by Rochelle's answer.

"Don't think I don't know your MO," Rochelle said. "With the exception of Adrien, you treat everyone like garbage, especially Marinette for reasons I don't know. And you - albeit unintentionally - rubbed the fact that you have your father in your life while I don't, isn't nice either. That behavior is _NOT_ okay."

"Excuse me?!" Chloe asked, not sure what to make of it.

"The fact that you insulted the fact that I'm American is also quite racist and very unacceptable," Rochelle said, before trying to turn away. "Just like garbage; it's behavior no one wants or likes."

As Rochelle kept walking away, Chloe cut her off and said, angrily, "Do you have any idea who I am?! I'm the mayor's daughter!"

"I don't care." Rochelle said, bluntly.

"WHAT?!" Chloe and Sabrina shouted.

"Being a politician's brat doesn't give you carte blanche to be a bully," Rochelle said, starting to get angry, and she began to raise her voice. "Connections are all fine and good, but it's how they're used that counts! If this WERE America, I can guarantee that you can and will be prosecuted for this behavior."

"Prosecuted?! For what?!" Chloe scoffed.

"Don't get started!" Rochelle shouted, as she started to count Chloe's transgressions. " _ **Bullying**_ is the big one. There's also theft of personal property, damage of personal property, cheating, competition sabotage, false accusation of a crime, _sexual harassment_..."

"Whoa, whoa, stop there!" Chloe said. "Sexual harassment?!"

"Don't think I don't have eyes," Rochelle said, with an even tone. "You're always getting in Adrien's space without his permission, and I can see that he's uncomfortable with it. That's grounds for a lawsuit."

"But I..." Chloe said.

"Don't even go with the 'mayor's daughter' junk again," Rochelle interrupted, putting a hand up. "Bullying is a _major_ crime in America! It's grounds for a lawsuit, and behavior like yours in _**UNACCEPTABLE!**_ Plain and simple. People who do things like that are likely to be put in _**JAIL!**_ The fact that you're the child of the mayor is completely meaningless in that respect. I heard from Alya that you've been tormenting Marinette for four years, and that's four years too many!"

"So what? Marinette's nothing special." Chloe scoffed.

"You're wrong about that; Marinette is a precious daughter to her parents, a best friend to Alya, a good person on the whole. YOU, on the other hand, are a discriminatory, bullying brat, and the fact that you said Marinette is 'nothing special' is also a bullying behavior." Rochelle stated.

"What are you..." Chloe began, getting angry.

"I'm telling the cold, hard truth, Chloe," Rochelle said. "Do you have _**any**_ idea what your behavior can cause people to do?!"

Scoffing again, Chloe asked, "What?"

"Oh, there's a whole list," Rochelle said. "The effects it has on other people can be low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and that can lead to a whole number of violent incidents! School shootings, murder, suicide, bringing weapons and such to school, etc. THAT is what could very well happen if you keep up this bullying behavior!"

Chloe once again tried to speak up, but Rochelle said, "Wake up and smell your own overwhelming perfume, Chloe. No one in this school likes you or your behavior, and that's the truth."

"Don't make me call my dad and have you arrested!" Chloe said.

"Your dad legally can't do anything; all I did was state the facts. By the way, the second you try to call your dad, I can call my mom, and her legal connections to the federal government can have you and your father investigated for these allegations and put you in the courtroom _and_ the jailhouse. You _can't_ do whatever you want, Chloe, and your father won't be able to have your back or be the mayor forever, either. Your bullying of everyone _**stops now**_!" Rochelle said.

Chloe opened her mouth again, but once again, Rochelle said, "Oh, I'm not done. Did I mention lack of academic honesty? Constantly pushing your homework on Sabrina is cheating and it's also plagiarism, the latter of which is, again _illegal_."

Chloe was stunned speechless; no one had ever spoken to her like that before.

"And Sabrina," Rochelle said, getting the attention of the aforementioned girl. "You're not much better. Standing by and letting things happen, as well as participating in these actions is no better than being the bully. Your taste in friends leaves a lot to be desired. A friend doesn't mooch of your homework or boss you around like a servant. You _need_ to break your 'friendship' with Chloe and move on to better people. She doesn't even appreciate all of the crap you go through just to make her happy."

Sabrina's face fell, as she looked to the floor, knowing that Rochelle was right.

Soon, clapping could be heard; Rochelle turned around, and she saw Adrien clapping at her speech, much to Chloe's shock. Marinette, Alya, Nino, and everyone else in their class joined in the applause. The applause grew louder and louder as the whole hallway heard Rochelle state the truth; her name was getting chanted.

"Rochelle! Rochelle! Rochelle!" Everyone chanted, as Chloe and Sabrina were humiliated by Rochelle's speech.

"Adrikins, how could you?!" Chloe cried, as she tried to get his favor again. "You should be sticking up for me!"

"Sorry, Chloe," Adrien said. "But Rochelle is right."

Chloe's jaw dropped. The whole crowd of students surrounded Rochelle and they were all talking her ear off about how impressed they were. Up to then, no one really had the spine to tell the truth to Chloe, and even Marinette standing up to her was not enough to get Chloe to stop. Rochelle did what no one else could.

Rochelle smiled brightly at the praise of being hailed a heroine for standing up to Chloe, and was then being tossed in the air in delight by her classmates. Rochelle smiled and started to laugh at the praise. Even Finni was giggling.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! Rochelle is now an official member of the Ladybug team, now as Siren! She's also stood up to Chloe and revealed that her father was lost to cancer.**

 **Before you ask, no, art DOES NOT imitate life here... Minus parts of Rochelle's personality, but that's about it.**

 **I'm still welcoming ideas for akumas and villains, as well as plots. Keep them coming, please.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Today we explore more with Rochelle! As Rochelle begins to get used to her new surroundings and takes time to swim to keep in shape and stay ready as a mermaid, she witnesses someone nearly drowning; Rochelle dives in with CPR and saves him, but at what cost? His peers tease him for being unable to swim! Even WITH Rochelle standing up for him, it doesn't stop an akuma from striking!  
**

* * *

It had been another few weeks since her first stint as Siren and helping Ladybug and Cat Noir; Paris had been quiet since then, meaning people had a good handle on their emotions for the moment.

Minus a few patrols, Rochelle had no real need to turn into Siren. On the other hand, she did not want to get lazy.

It was a weekend, and as such, after her homework was done, Rochelle made her way to the athletic complex for swimming practice. Rochelle wanted to stay in shape to ensure that she would be at her peak as Siren, under any circumstances. Even her underwater breath-holding record could be broken, as far as she was concerned.

As Rochelle walked into the pool area, she was wearing a one-piece, Bleu de France swimsuit that had an ocean design with sea foam green and periwinkle designs, not all that different from her costume as Siren. She also had Bleu de France goggles on.

She put her bag in a locker and then Finni flew out, before the door could be shut.

"Are you sure you want to swim as a human? You could always do some laps in the river as Siren." Finni asked.

"I need to stay in shape as a human because I'm not a mermaid all the time. Besides, wouldn't it be just _asking_ for a storm of fans if I went Siren and just started playing in the river?" Rochelle asked back.

"That's fair." Finni said. "I'll wait in the bag."

She used her intangibility powers to go through the locker door and hide in the bag.

Rochelle then made it to the swim team section of the pool and stood on one of the blocks. She got into a diving position and dove into the pool lane before swimming.

As she was swimming, a swimming class for teens in another part of the pool was about to commence. One boy, who was a little lanky, but still fairly fit, was trying to get the guts to get in the water. He had black hair, brown eyes, and freckles.

"Come on, Colbert, get in!" One of the other boys said. "You can't learn to swim if you won't get in the water."

Colbert, for his part, managed to get in the water by going down the stairs of the pool, and was only up to his waist in the water. However, Colbert was watching Rochelle as she was swimming professionally, and he sighed in envy.

"Come on, get your face in the water!" One of Colbert's peers said, as he literally pushed Colbert's head into the water, face-first.

Immediately, Colbert bolted his face out of the water and started to gasp for air.

"Come on, are you THAT spineless?" Another boy asked Colbert.

"Well..." Colbert began, as he tried to keep up with the class.

Since they were in the shallow part of the water, Colbert prayed for his class to go well without either getting teased or screwing anything up.

After about ten minutes, they were practicing their breast strokes while still standing in the shallow water. Colbert managed to do fine up to a point, but at one point, he lost his timing and opened his mouth under water. He shot up, spat the water out, and started coughing.

Everyone in the class started to chuckle a bit, but they held their breath when the teacher saw them laughing.

Rochelle kept practicing her swimming, trying to ignore the hubbub next to her. She felt her body just melt into the water smoothly and seamlessly; it was as if she had turned back into Siren and was swimming in the river.

Colbert, meanwhile, kept trying his best, but he would keep messing up by either getting water in his mouth and coughing on it, or having someone deliberately sabotage his attempts at learning.

Rochelle watched from her lane in the pool, and empathized with Colbert.

 _'I know how he feels; when I started learning how to swim, I was scared and kept making mistakes, too.'_ Rochelle thought.

As Colbert once again floundered in the water, Rochelle knew that she should try to step in.

"Keep going, Colbert! You can do it!" Rochelle shouted from her end of the pool.

Hearing her, Colbert smiled and he grew a little more confident; he continued to try learning to swim. Meanwhile, Rochelle smiled and went back to her practice session.

Rochelle kept swimming, practicing all of her strokes and tricks, while trying not to go into 'Siren' mode mentally.

 _'Good thinking, Rochelle; one good gesture can make a person's day and make them happy. And a happy person isn't liable to be akumatized.'_ Rochelle thought to herself, while concentrating on her swimming.

After she felt that she had honed her professional swimming, she decided to just play and have some fun. She started to swim freestyle, with tricks underwater such as backwards somersaults.

* * *

Meanwhile, Marinette and Tikki were in the bedroom of the former.

"I still can't believe how much Siren helped us," Marinette said. "I just hope that we don't have to rely on her _too_ much."

"But Cat Noir was right; Hawkmoth is getting more clever. After all, cats hate water, so having that in his battle plans really puts Cat Noir in a tight spot." Tikki said.

"Which is where Siren can compensate," Marinette said. "But seriously, _bull sharks_?! How is that even possible?!"

"It's one of the features of the Mermaid Miraculous," Tikki said. "Much like your Lucky Charm or Cat Noir's Cataclysm, Siren has her 'Sea Creature Call' that can summon any sea animal at will. The only catch is that they have to be able to survive the environment that Siren is in at the time. Bull sharks, from what I've heard, are capable of surviving in fresh water rivers as well as salt water oceans."

"She must have used that as a scare tactic to get Oil Spill to stay on the boat so we could nab her." Marinette said.

"That's the weird thing about the Mermaid Miraculous," Tikki said. "Whoever holds it is also capable of talking to sea creatures like she would talk to humans."

"She could literally understand what they were saying?" Marinette said.

"That's right." Tikki said.

"Talk about a tough ally... Wouldn't surprise me if it WAS Rochelle." Marinette said.

"Yeah," Tikki said. "First, Rochelle arrives in your class, and Siren shows up out of nowhere the same day? It's too much of a coincidence."

Marinette nodded, thinking that Tikki may have hit on something.

* * *

Back at the athletic complex, Rochelle kept swimming freestyle under the surface of the pool's water. She was really enjoying her free time; no akumas, no villains to fight, no Chloe riling her up. All was good. Or at least, it was for the moment.

"Alright, class; now we're actually going to put your lessons into practice today." The coach said.

He brought everyone to the stairs of the pool and then he led everyone to the diving board. It was at the part of the pool in which Rochelle was swimming in.

As she surfaced, Rochelle saw what was going on, and decided to move out of the way to watch them practice. She still had her goggles on and was treading water.

She watched as the boys dove off the diving board one at a time, making sure to perfect their form. Rochelle looked over to Colbert, and noticed how nervous he was.

"Stay calm, Colbert! You got this!" Rochelle cheered, trying to encourage Colbert.

Colbert smiled again, feeling more confident. When it was his turn on the diving board, he took a deep breath. He stepped onto the board, and made his way to the edge. He was still afraid. However, he knew that he would not take the first step towards conquering his fear if he did not dive off the board.

However, one of the more malicious of the boys had a pretty nasty smile on his face. Just as Colbert was about to quite literally dive in, the boy heavily pushed Colbert. Colbert flailed his arms in fright, and then he fell into the pool face-first. He was panicking and floundering in the water, struggling to keep his head above water. Colbert started to sink, and then he was still in the water.

Knowing where this could be going, Rochelle immediately dove underwater before the coach even had the chance. She immediately swam her way over to Colbert, and then she grabbed him before surfacing.

As she took in some air, she noticed something that made her eyes widen.

"He's not breathing...!" She shouted. Rochelle brought him onto the pool deck, laid him down gently, and began performing CPR.

The coach, meanwhile, was reprimanding the boys who had been participating in the teasing. He noticed that Rochelle knew what she was doing, and decided to let a pro swimmer do her thing.

After a third round of chest compressions, Colbert coughed up some water and started breathing heavily.

"You okay?" Rochelle asked.

"Waterlogged, but fine," Colbert said. However, one look at Rochelle and his face was red from something other than lack of air. "At least I hope I will be."

"She got to you quickly," The coach said, as he came over. "I think you'll be fine. But as for those three..."

Rochelle looked at the boys who were teasing Colbert, and her green eyes were filled with red-hot anger.

 _"WHY, YOU...!"_ Rochelle growled, her fist balled and her eyes on fire.

The boys recoiled in fear.

"He could've drowned! What were you thinking?!" Rochelle asked, angrily. "Oh, wait... _YOU WEREN'T!_ "

The boys calmed down a bit and gave Rochelle disapproving looks.

"So what? He's just a coward who can't swim." The 'leader' said, playing the situation off.

"He's no coward! Colbert came here on his own free will to learn to swim and face his fears. How is _**that**_ cowardly?!" Rochelle shouted.

"Dude, she's right." One of the other bystanders said, all siding with Rochelle.

"Causing someone to nearly drown is **_NOT SOMETHING TO JOKE ABOUT!_** " Rochelle shouted. "He could've died, and that is _ANYTHING_ but funny!"

"Look here, boys," The 'leader' said, smirking. "Looks like our little mermaid is standing up for her prince."

Several of the boys started laughing like it was a joke. Rochelle, however, knew better.

She took the analogy as a compliment and just rolled her eyes. She knew how accurate the mermaid part really was.

"You boys be quiet! The three of you are NOT part of this class anymore!" The coach shouted, backing Rochelle up.

The boys recoiled in shock before reluctantly leaving.

After the scene cleared and Rochelle was about to leave, she was approached by Colbert.

"Oh, Colbert, there you are. Are you okay after that?" Rochelle asked. "Those boys really were mean."

"I'm fine, thanks to you," Colbert said. "I just wish I _was_ able to swim. Then I'd show them."

"I don't think vengeful thoughts and feelings are a good idea," Rochelle said, trying to prevent her new friend from being a victim to Hawkmoth. "So, I hope that you keep pushing yourself to learn to swim."

"Thanks, Rochelle." Colbert said, a light blush on his face.

As Rochelle was about to turn and leave, Colbert said, "Actually, there IS something else."

"Yes?" Rochelle asked, turning back and giving Colbert a smile.

"...Can I get your phone number?" Colbert asked, to her surprise. "I... I was hoping you and I can meet up on Saturdays here for personal swimming lessons."

"Okay!" Rochelle said, as she and Colbert traded numbers on their phones. "We'll stay in touch and I'll let you know if anything comes up. See you next week."

Rochelle then started to leave. Colbert had a lovesick smile and a prominent blush on his face.

"That was really sweet of you, Rochelle," Finni said, as she came out from hiding. "Saving him and then standing up for him. And then offering Colbert your expertise as a swimmer! Your good traits just keep coming."

"Thanks, Finni," Rochelle said. "I just hope that those boys leave him alone, or Colbert could become akumatized."

"Yeah, there's always that risk; the stronger and more depressed someone is at any given moment, the higher the chances of someone being a victim." Finni said.

"What about other Miraculous Holders?" Rochelle asked.

"Oh, even if you HAVE been akumatized prior to obtaining one, Miraculous Holders are immune to being akumatized." Finni explained.

"So no matter how mad I get, Hawkmoth can't get to me." Rochelle said.

"That about sums it up." Finni said, before flying back under Rochelle's hair.

"Heh. Looks like little prince-y is smitten with his mermaid." The leader of the boys said, as they approached Colbert.

"Hey, weren't you kicked out?" Colbert asked.

"We were just waiting for your little savior to go upstream." Another boy said, snickering, as the three of them started to corner in on Colbert.

"You think just because a girl took your side, you're something special?" The leader asked, sneering.

"No." Colbert said, standing his ground.

"Well, that doesn't change the fact that you're just a weakling who can't get in the water without nearly drowning." Colbert's lead bully said.

" _You're_ the ones that pushed me. I don't see how that makes _me_ the weakling. At least I'm trying to get better." Colbert said, standing up straight and looking his tormenter in the eyes.

"Still doesn't make you any stronger in the water." One of the lackeys said.

"Face it, Colbert," The leader said. "Even _with_ one-on-one training from that girl, you'll never be a swimmer. Might as well just quit while you haven't even started."

The boys shoved Colbert against the wall and started walking away while laughing at his expense.

The pain of getting picked on was starting to get to him. While he knew he had a new friend in Rochelle, the idea of being tormented for being unable to swim was unbearable.

He started to silently cry. Colbert was raised with the mindset 'it's okay for boys to cry', so he found it okay to shed tears.

However, he was unaware that the goggles on his head were about to become the host for something much more disastrous.

In a large tower somewhere in town, the window opened up and the light came down on one man: Hawkmoth. His white butterflies were flying everywhere. He could sense that Colbert was depressed.

"Oh... Poor boy. It must be unbearable, the hurt from being picked on. And all because he wanted to overcome a flaw and learn a new skill. The emotional hurt is just ripe for picking!" Hawkmoth said, as he cackled.

He opened his hand, and then one of the butterflies landed. Hawkmoth covered the butterfly with his other hand and then infused it with evil energy. Opening his hands, the white butterfly was now black with purple highlights.

"Now, fly away my little akuma; give this boy the means to soothe his pain! Evilize him!" Hawkmoth declared, as the akuma flew out the window.

As Colbert kept quietly sobbing, he failed to notice the black butterfly coming at him. As the akuma landed on his goggles, the akuma bubbled away and embedded itself into the goggles.

A butterfly-shape appeared on Colbert's reddened face, and Colbert looked up.

 _"Poseiden, in exchange for the Miraculous of Ladybug and Cat Noir, I will give you the power to drown everyone in Paris as retribution for tyrannizing you."_

Colbert's face turned to rage before the black-purple foams from the akuma engulfed him.

His clothes became a ocean blue toga with sky blue laurel wreaths on his head, along with his goggles turning purple and spiky. His skin turned a sickly blue color and his eyes and face were covered by the usual purple butterfly. Colbert became barefoot and a little more muscular. His hair turned from black to dark blue.

Colbert smiled evilly before going to track down the boys who were picking on him earlier.

As the boys were getting ready to leave the complex, Colbert burst in, riding on a tide of water.

"Whoa?! What on earth?!" The ringleader shouted, as the trio of boys were scared.

"So, think I'm just a weakling with water?" Poseidon said, as he opened his palm and started to pool a lot of water. He smirked evilly.

The boys' facial expressions were getting more and more scared by the second; they had seen akuma attacks before, so they knew what was coming.

Rochelle was about a block or two away from the athletic complex. She and Finni were about to go and get something to eat.

"So, how about the Dupain-Cheng bakery for lunch? Maybe Marinette is there." Rochelle asked.

"Yeah! That would be great!" Finni said, with a big smile on her face.

However...

*BANG! GUSH!*

Rochelle and Finni heard a very loud noise and heard water flowing and rushing. They turned around and saw the athletic complex had exploded and water was flooding the street.

Rochelle made a break for it with Finni hiding in her hair again. However, the flood was going too fast, and then the water engulfed her.

Rochelle was a very strong swimmer, so she managed to surface and get some air. Looking around, she saw that the streets were beginning to flood even heavier. The water was starting to reach the tops of the tallest buildings and the pressure was causing windows to break, smaller buildings to crumble, and for people to be screaming for help. Even the river was flooding above the bridge.

As Rochelle began to swim again, Finni shouted, "Gills on, Rochelle!"

"Not now!" Rochelle shouted. "I gotta figure out what's going on first! Besides, there's no telling who's watching."

The three boys that were picking on Colbert earlier were swept away by the water, and they were struggling and screaming for help. She saw they were clinging to a stray piece of wood. Rochelle immediately swam over to them.

"What happened?" Rochelle asked, suspicious of the situation. Her tone was firm and upset.

"I don't know. Some freak calling himself Poseidon just burst into the building and then he asked us, 'So, think I'm just a weakling with water?' and then out of nowhere, he raised the water level in the pools to the point where the building exploded from the inside out from the water pressure." The ringleader said.

Rochelle immediately connected the dots at hearing this information.

"You teased Colbert again after I left, didn't you?!" Rochelle accused.

The boys lowered their heads in shame.

"Ugh, that figures!" Rochelle said, angry with them. "See what you've done?! No thanks to that, Colbert's been akumatized! Looks like we're just going to have to wait for Ladybug, Cat Noir, and that mermaid to come and clean up _your_ mess!"

The boys failed to retort; they knew Rochelle was right.

"Try and get to higher ground!" Rochelle scolded.

As she pushed the boys to a place where the rooftops of the buildings have not yet been covered in water, the boys scrambled for solid ground.

"What about you?" The ringleader said. "You can stay here with us."

"That's nice of you, but I get the feeling you're only saying that because you're feeling guilty. Anyway, I'll be fine. I'll just see if I can get help." Rochelle said, before turning around.

 _"How dare you!"_ Someone shouted; Rochelle looked up and saw Colbert - now Poseidon - glaring down at em angrily. He was standing on a pedestal of water that he was controlling. "It wasn't enough that you had to persecute me?! Now you go and pick on Rochelle, too?!"

"W-Wait, it's not what it looks like!" The ringleader shouted.

However, Poseidon just raised his hand; the water near him rose up, and then he moved his hand and blasted the bullies with water, blasting them away and nearly drowning them.

Rochelle turned to Poseidon and looked at him in shock.

"Worry not, my dear," Poseidon said, as he used his new hydrokinesis to gently lift Rochelle up to eye level with him. "I won't let those ocean scum-buckets persecute you, my dear Amphitrite."

 _'Amphitrite? That's the Greek Goddess of the Sea and Poseidon's wife,'_ Rochelle thought. _'Why would he compare me to Amphitrite? Oh no, don't tell me...'_

"Colbert, please..." Rochelle began to beg, but...

"Oh, excuse me. Where are my manners, calling you 'Amphitrite' so unceremoniously? How rude of me, Rochelle," Poseidon said, with a gentle smile on his face. He then gave her a polite bow. "And please, call me 'Poseidon'."

"Okay..." Rochelle said, feeling a little awkward. "But Poseidon, sir..."

"Please, no formalities." Poseidon said.

Rochelle nodded, as she felt a little nervous about the situation.

Meanwhile, Marinette and some of her friends and classmates had found higher ground. They were all breathing heavily from having to swim to safety.

"Ugh, my hair and makeup! Now the salt water has ruined it!" Chloe complained.

"This is freshwater, Chloe," Alya corrected, as she had a taste of the water in her mouth. "It's not like it's going to kill your hair."

"So now what?" Rose asked, a little scared.

"I wish I knew. Oh, if only I had taken swimming lessons!" Mylene said, as she hugged Ivan for comfort.

"Dude, this sucks," Nino complained, as he tried to dry off his headphones. "I just hope Adrien's okay."

"Speaking of whom, where is he?!" Marinette asked, freaking out.

"I don't know," Nino said. "He got separated from me during the flood."

"What about Rochelle?" Juleka asked. "We can't forget about her."

"I'm sure she'll be fine; she's a swimming champion after all." Marinette said, calming down.

"In the meantime, I guess we're just going to have to wait for Ladybug and Cat Noir," Alya said. "Hopefully those two and that mermaid friend of theirs will clean up this disaster."

 _'But how am I going to transform into Ladybug in this situation?'_ Marinette asked herself.

Closer to the Dupain-Cheng bakery, Adrien managed to keep his head above water and he grabbed a stray piece of wood. He clung to it as he floated closer to a rooftop. He saw no one was there, so he scrambled to get to higher, drier ground.

"Geez, this next akuma seriously has this thing with water," Adrien said. "Cats hate water, but I'm not going to sit this one out. _Plagg, Claws Out!"_

Plagg, while still eating camembert, was sucked into the ring. Adrien formed a mask on his face, turning his eyes into cat-eyes, his hair grew more ruffled, his cat ear clips came on, and he grew a skin-tight leather suit. His tail was formed through his belt, and he ended by making a cat-like pose.

Cat Noir started hopping rooftops that were still dry, as he tried to scope out the area. He wanted to make sure no one else was suffering the same issues.

"Ugh, all this water..." Cat Noir complained, as he kept trying to jump rooftops. However, he slipped and fell into the water.

He surfaced and scrambled for 'land', and then shook the water off. He kept going, trying to find the source of the flooding. He saw a large geyser of water off in the distance. He decided to go after it in hopes of finding the person responsible for the flooding.

Cat Noir kept hopping rooftops, with the intention of keeping himself dry.

Back with Rochelle, she was trying to placate Poseidon by trying to talk him out of his behavior.

"Listen, I get it, those guys really dissed you," Rochelle said. "But you can't drown everyone in Paris because of it."

"Yes, I can! It's revenge for being mistreated!" Poseidon said, angrily.

"So I guess that means I'll be on the list, huh?" Rochelle asked, in distress.

"Drown you? No way!" Poseidon said. "That's out of the question."

"Why are you sparing me?! If you're going to drown everyone else, why leave me alone?" Rochelle asked, upset.

"You were there for me," Poseidon said, simply. "You saved me and stood up for me when no one else would. After that, letting you enjoy the waters with me is the least I could do."

Poseidon then use this hydrokinesis to give Rochelle a new outfit: he turned Rochelle's clothes and shoes into a chiton and sandals in a lighter shade of blue out of water; he gave her a laurel wreath on her head, with some ancient greek jewelry. Her choker was still there, luckily.

Poseidon then conjured up a full-length mirror and showed it to Rochelle; looking in the mirror, Rochelle was flattered that Poseidon gave her this new wardrobe.

"It's beautiful..." Rochelle said, very flattered.

"Thank you," Poseidon said. "I'm glad you like it. It really suits you, Rochelle."

As soon as she heard this, Rochelle flinched. She thought, _'Wait, this isn't the time to be admiring myself in the mirror! I gotta get away from Poseidon and transform into Siren, FAST! But how?!'_

Back with Marinette, she and the others were still waiting for relief efforts.

Alya had pulled up a live news feed, and she was showing it to her friends.

 _"A strange young man calling himself 'Poseidon' has started terrorizing Paris by flooding it to the rooftops; citizens are rushing to surface to get air while others are stranded on rooftops,"_ Nadja Chamack, the newscaster, said, in a helicopter above all of the chaos. _"Ladybug and Cat Noir's whereabouts are currently unknown."_

The feed turned to Poseidon, who had an arm around Rochelle's waist.

 _"This just in! Poseidon appears to have a hostage in a young girl, and has dressed her in clothing similar to him!"_ Nadja said, as she saw the scene before her.

"Oh no! He has Rochelle!" Marinette said, as she recognized the girl.

"Why would he hold her hostage?! Did he just grab someone at random?" Alya asked, scared.

 _"And now we see Cat Noir on the scene!"_ Nadja said, as she saw Cat Noir pole vaulting over to the scene.

 _'Oh good, Cat Noir is there,'_ Marinette thought. _'But how am I supposed to go and save Rochelle when I'm in the middle of a crowd?'_

A few emergency boats came over to them.

"Sorry, but there's not enough room for all of you," The captain said. "One of you is going to have to stay behind and wait for the next fleet."

"I'll stay behind! I'm more concerned about the others." Marinette said, volunteering to stay behind.

"Are you sure, girl?" Alya asked. "You can go and I'll stay behind."

"No!" Marinette said. "Besides, don't you want to be there for all the action for the Ladyblog?"

That got Alya; she smiled and said, "You bet I do! Okay, just stay there, Marinette!"

"Thanks," Marinette said, nodding. "Be careful everyone!"

"Thanks you!" Mylene said.

Ivan gently helped her onto the boat while everyone else scrambled for a spot. The captain of the boat fleet started steering the boats away.

Once they were out of sight, Marinette did a quick look around to see if anyone else was there.

"Looks like the coast is clear," Marinette said, as she let Tikki out of her bag. "Time to bail this city out! _Tikki, Spots On!"_

Marinette activated her earrings; Tikki flew inside them, and the magic started. Marinette formed the red mask with black spots on her face, and then her skin-tight, red uniform with black spots on it formed all over her. Her yoyo formed on her waist, and then she posed, ready for action.

Using her yo-yo, Ladybug started to swing all the way to Cat Noir's position.

Meanwhile, Cat Noir was ducking and dodging all of the water blasts that Poseidon was shooting at him. However, Poseidon was getting a little rough and was beginning to hurt Rochelle a little.

"Whoa! Hey!" Rochelle shouted. Poseidon had roughly pulled her while shooting water at Cat Noir.

"Oops, sorry," Poseidon said. "I really shouldn't have you getting hurt, my queen."

 _"Q-Queen?"_ Rochelle asked.

"Of course," Poseidon said, with a smile. "Once I drown everyone in Atlantic Paris, I'll take the throne. And I'll make you my queen. It's the least I can do after you saved me."

Poseidon had let his guard down for a second. Seeing this as an opening, Cat Noir jumped in and tried to smack Poseidon with his baton, but Poseidon blasted Cat Noir with water, shooting him back.

Poseidon then conjured up a regal throne out of water, and gently used his water powers to sit Rochelle on it. He then moved the throne about a meter away from the action.

"There. Now you can watch me drown this mangy cat at a safe distance." Poseidon said.

 _'His consideration is sweet, but I still need to get an opening to escape and transform!'_ Rochelle thought.

Finni peeked out to see what was going on, and said, "Now I see why you can't transform; in this chaos, your secret would get out."

Rochelle nodded, a little concerned.

Ladybug was swinging over to the fight, and then she landed next to Cat Noir, who was soaking wet.

"Good to see you, M'lady," Cat Noir said. "And perfect timing, too."

"Yeah, but we could really use Siren's help." Ladybug said.

Rochelle sweat dropped.

"So, the bug's finally in the water," Poseidon said, as he confronted the pair. "Hand over your Miraculous before everyone drowns!"

Ladybug merely looked around and tried to see if there was something she could do. But she noticed Rochelle and got concerned.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out of there!" Ladybug shouted to Rochelle.

"Leave my queen alone!" Poseidon said, as he started to conjure up a water blast.

"Um, that's flattering, but no thanks!" Rochelle said, blushing.

"Here goes nothing!" Ladybug said, as she used her yo-yo and spun it around to make it into a shield.

Cat Noir repeated this as a way to block the water blasts.

As Ladybug and Cat Noir were running around, blocking and dodging Poseidon's water blasts, they were trying to think of a way to get Rochelle away from Poseidon.

"Come on, where's Siren when you need her?!" Cat Noir asked, as he got hit with water again.

 _"Excellent, Poseidon! Now, take their Miraculous!"_ Hawkmoth shouted, telepathically.

Poseidon then used his hydrokinesis to enrapture Ladybug and Cat Noir together in a large ball of water.

"NO!" Rochelle shouted.

Ladybug, holding her breath, took her yo-yo out and then she shot it at a support beam nearby. It was above Rochelle. Ladybug grabbed Cat Noir by his tail belt, tugged on her yo-yo string and then she zipped out of the water orb with Cat Noir flailing.

"Try to land on your feet!" Ladybug shouted, as she let go of Cat Noir's belt. Cat Noir did a few flips and then he landed on all fours, before taking up his baton and getting ready to fight again.

"Grab on!" Ladybug shouted, as she held her hand out to Rochelle. Rochelle grabbed Ladybug's hand, and then Ladybug swung up to another rooftop.

"No! Not my queen!" Poseidon shouted, as he then tried to after Ladybug.

However, Cat Noir cut him off and knocked him back with the baton.

Ladybug made some distance by swinging over a few rooftops, and then she landed a few buildings away from the brawl. She set Rochelle down.

"Get to safety!" Ladybug said, before zipping back to the battle.

Rochelle nodded, and then she started to run, jumping over another rooftop. She looked around to see if anyone was watching - no one was there.

 _"Finni, Gills On!"_ Rochelle shouted, as she rubbed the shell on her choker before jumping in the water.

The shell turned from sandy pink to sea foam green. Finni then entered the shell on the choker. With a big smile on her face, Rochelle's clothes disappeared in a wave of light.

Her body was given a bleu de France body suit that had scales sparkling in periwinkle with hints of sea foam green in the light. Her face was given a mask in a matching scheme; her chest was given a periwinkle-sea foam green seashell bra and her hair was put up in a braid, fastened with a matching scallop shell. Because she was in the water, her feet turned into her mermaid fin. Her tail was given loose ruffled fabric that were also blue de France with the periwinkle sparkle affect; same with her wrists, waist and hips. On her waist was a scallop-shell in the same color scheme, with a string.

Immediately breaking into a swimming sprint, Siren started swimming all the way to where the action with Poseidon was. However, she saw people who were struggling to surface, and were about to lose air and pass out.

"I'm coming!" Siren shouted, as she started helping people get to the surface for air.

She dove under the water to get to the people who would suffer from the heaviest of the water pressure. That is, the people who were the deepest underneath.

Siren grabbed Tom and Sabine - Marinette's parents - by the hands and immediately swam up to the surface; she made sure to stop for a few minutes at higher water levels to prevent the bends.

As they surfaced for air, they both gasped for air and Siren said, "You okay?"

"We... *GASP* We'll be fine..." Tom said, as he hugged Sabine.

"Catch your breath and then go find the relief boats or at least get to higher ground." Siren shouted, before diving back in the water.

She saw that there were plenty more people passed out in the water, but they were all scattered around. Siren knew that she would not be able to save all of them in time.

 _'Rochelle, try creating an air bubble for the people instead of just going to get them two at a time!'_ Finni said.

"I can do that?" Siren asked.

 _'Yep! Hydrokinesis is standard for a mermaid, really.'_ Finni said.

"Okay." Siren said. She repeated 'Air bubbles' in her mind before managing to use her own hydrokinesis to create giant bubbles of air for everyone in the water.

Everyone managed to wake up from the oxygen boost and then they all saw Siren was there, saving them. They started cheering as the air bubbles started slowly bringing them to the surface.

"I know you all want to get to the surface and fast, but if you don't go slowly, you could get the bends! There should be enough air in those air bubbles to keep you sustained." Siren said, before swimming off to try and see if there was anyone else in need.

She kept repeating this for almost everyone who was struggling in the water, and kept swimming around to see if there were any other people who needed help.

Siren noticed all of the fish and marine life were swimming around like nothing was wrong. She saw an Atlantic salmon and approached it.

"Excuse me!" Siren asked, getting the salmon's attention.

"Oh, how can I help you?" The salmon replied.

"Listen, did you notice any other humans around that were almost about to drown?" Siren inquired.

"Oh, several of them are closer to the bottom. It gets a little darker down there, so be careful." The salmon replied.

"Thanks!" Siren asked, before diving down deeper in the water.

She saw several other people passed out on the roads, with the water pressure about to do them in. Andre Bourgeois was actually amongst them. Siren immediately made air bubbles for everyone, and then they woke up, feeling normal again.

As the bubbles started to slowly rise, Andre Bourgeois gave Siren a big smile and said, "Thank you, Siren! Ladybug and Cat Noir must really appreciate your help."

"It's no problem at all, Mayor Bourgeois. Just... can you do me a favor and start to try disciplining your daughter a little more strictly? That's the only thing I ask of you. I can almost promise you the rate of akuma attacks would decrease if she were a nicer girl. Trust me." Siren asked.

"I will make my upmost efforts, Siren!" Andre said, being firm and ready to uphold his end of the bargain.

"Thank you! Just make sure you get to safety once you surface!" Siren said, before swimming off.

Siren made some distance before surfacing. She saw Ladybug and Cat Noir were still going at it with Poseidon. As Poseidon tried once again to blast them with water, Siren used her own hydrokinesis to redirect the water blast to hit Poseidon instead. He was blasted away for a bit, and landed in the water a little ways away.

"What was that?" Cat Noir asked.

"Over here!" Siren shouted.

The two heroes turned around and Ladybug said, "There you are! What happened?"

"Sorry I'm late," Siren said, as she approached. "I had to play lifeguard for the citizens, including the mayor. I even asked him to try and start disciplining his daughter a bit more."

The trio chuckled at the notion of Chloe getting disciplined.

"Anyway, I didn't know you could control water like that." Cat Noir said.

"I just learned how to do it myself," Siren said. "I can try and keep the water at bay while you two try to stop him, if you want?"

"Great idea, but we'd better think of something fast...!" Ladybug said, as she saw a whirlpool begin to form where Poseidon landed.

"Is there anything you can see that might be where the akuma is?" Siren inquired.

"Only the goggles on his head." Cat Noir said.

"That's probably where it is," Siren said. "I can hold off the water, but you two need to figure out a way to destroy those goggles and purify that akuma!"

She dove underwater and started to approach the whirlpool; being a mermaid, the chances of her getting caught up in it were slim, but still there.

"Stop this!" Siren shouted, as she saw Poseidon rising up to the surface, in full-blown rage.

"So, the mermaid comes out of her shell at last! It's not your Miraculous I'm after! I have much bigger fish to fry." Poseidon said.

Angrily, he manipulated the water to trap Siren in a very fast current. The current coiled around her, and it began to bind her. The current was keeping her from moving.

"Ugh! "I have much bigger fish to fry?" That's such a cliche!" Siren griped, as she saw Poseidon rising up to the surface.

She struggled to break free from the current, but it was so strong, she started to get tired out. However, since she was a mermaid, she could at least breathe without being inconvenienced.

"Alright, let's see..." Siren said, as she tried to manipulate the current so it would dissipate. She concentrated her strength into her hydrokinesis and then the current vanished. "Bingo!"

She immediately swam up to the surface to see what was going down. Seeing that Ladybug and Cat Noir were both at a loss as to what to, Siren tried to wrack her brain for an idea.

"Bad enough you had to spoil my fun, but to take away _my queen?!_ The **ONE PERSON** who _ever_ looked at things from my viewpoint?! Now you're just going to be one drowned cat and a soaking wet bug!" Poseidon shouted, as the weather started to turn foul.

Siren took notice, and started to see that the waters were getting rougher and more dangerous.

"Uh-oh... Storm at sea!" Siren shouted to her teammates, as she tried to make a break for it to stop Poseidon.

She dove under the water to see if she could activate her Sea Creature Call to try and at least buy some time for her team. However, when she opened up her seashell, she saw nothing but static.

 _'You can't use your Sea Creature Call right now! The waters are too turbulent; the animals would suffer! You're going to have to try something else!'_ Finni said.

"Ugh, of all the times for my Sea Creature Call to be out of the question!" Siren complained, as she surfaced and then swam over to her team. "Ladybug, Cat Noir! My Sea Creature Call won't work in this stormy water! We're going to have to try something else!"

"Copy that!" Ladybug said.

Cat Noir was still sparring with Poseidon, but not having any luck.

Ladybug then raised up her yo-yo.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called, as she shot her yo-yo in the air. Out of the light and into her hand landed...

"An oyster? What am I supposed to do with _this_?" Ladybug asked aloud, as she felt annoyed at getting an oyster.

"Open it!" Siren said.

Ladybug opened it and saw that there was a pearl inside. A very big, lustrous pearl at that.

Ladybug looked to Siren and they nodded at each other.

"Hey Poseidon!" Ladybug shouted, as she showed off the oyster and the pearl. "Rather than brawling with us, how about going to find your sweet queen and giving her _this_ to show her your feelings?"

She moved the oyster in such a way that the pearl sparkled and shinned in the light.

Poseidon stopped fighting and his eyes lit up at the sight of the giant pearl.

He imagined giving Rochelle that oyster. He imagined her reaction to seeing such a huge pearl would be one of pure happiness. Poseidon imagined Rochelle leaping into his arms and kissing him with love and gratitude for the oyster and pearl. Poseidon smiled at the prospect and then he immediately leaped at Ladybug.

"Hand over that oyster!" Poseidon said, as he began chasing after Ladybug.

"Siren, catch!" Ladybug shouted, as she threw the oyster at Siren.

Siren caught it in her hands, and then she briefly thought about how weird it would be to be given a pearl in an oyster as a present from someone. She shook her head and started to swim away.

"Hey, give me that!" Poseidon shouted, before going after Siren.

"Cat Noir, get his goggles now!" Ladybug shouted, while keeping an eye on her earrings.

"Right!" Cat Noir shouted. "Cataclysm!"

He activated his Cataclysm and then he chased after Poseidon. Braving the waters, Cat Noir hit the goggles, destroying them. The akuma was released and then Ladybug took it from there.

"Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug shouted, as she caught the akuma and purified it. She released it and let it fly away.

Siren tossed the oyster over to Ladybug, and Ladybug threw it into the air before shouting, "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"

In a wave of red light, the entire city turned back to normal with no trace of water aside from the river. Poseidon changed back into Colbert and then his goggles were back to normal.

Siren was now standing with her friends on dry land. Her fin had turned into feet and then the three of them did a group high-five saying, "Pound it!"

"Ugh, what happened?" Colbert asked, as he rubbed his head.

"Everything's fine now." Ladybug said, as she approached Colbert.

"I'll go find that girl," Siren said, as she was referring to herself. "I'm sure she's worried about her friend."

Siren leaped back into the river and swam off to go find somewhere to change back.

Back with Hawkmoth...

 _"NO!"_ Hawkmoth shouted, angry. "That flood should have drowned those two! But that damned Siren got in the way again! But one day, I'll broil that fish! You'll see!"

"Gills off." Siren said, as she got out of the water. Finni released the transformation and then landed in Rochelle's hands.

"Nice work out there, Rochelle!" Finni said.

"Thanks, but now we'd better check on Colbert." Rochelle said; Finni hid in her hair.

* * *

After the chaos had died down, Rochelle got some ice cream for herself and Colbert and they sat on a bench to relax.

"I still can't believe those guys came after me after you stood up for me." Colbert said, as he ate his raspberry cheesecake ice cream.

"You really shouldn't let guys like that get to you in the future," Rochelle said, licking her double-chocolate brownie ice cream. "But I'm still going to give you the one-on-one swimming sessions, regardless of today's... events."

"Yeah, I can't believe I got akumatized no matter how much I tried to stand up for myself." Colbert said as he looked down at the ground.

"I haven't been in Paris long, but from what I've heard, it's more emotional-related. I think the deeper and more emotionally stressed out someone is, the more likely getting akumatized is." Rochelle said.

"I wonder if the civilians under the masks of those three heroes have been akumatized..." Colbert asked.

"I don't know..." Rochelle said, as she looked at her choker and thought about her new teammates. _'But that begs the question... Who are Ladybug and Cat Noir?'_

Rochelle looked up to the sky and started thinking about who her new teammates were behind the masks.

* * *

 **Rochelle has other powers now, and it looks like her main power, Sea Creature Call, can't be used in certain situations. And now Rochelle is wondering who her new teammates are! Maybe she'll figure it out! I hope she does!**

 **Next time, Rochelle begins cluing in as to who Ladybug really is!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Today, Rochelle is shown to be a lot smarter and sharper than any of the citizens in Paris! She begins piecing together Ladybug's true identity.**

 **However, a wrench is thrown in the engine when yet another akuma - once again brought to you by Chloe - has literally caught Ladybug and Cat Noir in her web.**

 **Liz The Sweet Writer takes credit for the akumas in this chapter instead of me.**

* * *

It was yet another day in Paris. Nothing unusual going on...

"INCOMING TOMATOES!" Ladybug shouted, as she swung out of the way of a giant tomato. Said tomato smashed into a wall and became crushed.

Well... It would not really _be_ a normal day in Paris without an akuma attack going on, now would it?

Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Siren were fighting off yet another akuma victim. This time, it was a chef who liked using tomatoes in a lot of his cuisine. His skin was pale, and was wearing a tomato inspired chef jacket, black pants and chef clogs, and was wearing a tomato chef hat on top of his fiery, flaming red hair, his eyes were both blood-shot-red and literally red. He was also wearing black fingerless gloves with tomatoes on them. He was holding a giant spatula in hand, and several tomato-shaped creatures were underneath him, ready to fight.

"The akuma is probably in his spatula! We gotta release it!" Ladybug shouted.

Cat Noir and Siren nodded, ready for action.

"Cat Noir, take out the tomato minions and try to distract Mad Tomato!" Ladybug shouted.

"As you wish, m'lady!" Cat Noir said, as he used his staff and started to literally crush the tomato minions. Every time he whacked them with his staff, they disintegrated into crushed tomatoes.

"Siren, guard Chloe!" Ladybug said.

"Ugh, do I _have_ to? Can't we just let Chloe get her retribution for once?" Siren complained.

"Believe me, I _want_ to, but we can't," Ladybug muttered. "Just keep an eye on her!"

Siren immediately noticed something about the exchange: Ladybug did not care for Chloe, either. In fact, Cat Noir seemed to have the most patience with Chloe between the three of them, but even _he_ had his limits.

"Need a little help here, bug!" Cat Noir shouted, as he kept crushing tomatoes, but there was no end in sight.

"Just keep an eye on her!" Ladybug shouted, as she ran in to help Cat Noir.

 _'Whoever Ladybug really is, she's probably another one of Chloe's constant targets for torment.'_ Siren thought as she watched Cat Noir and Ladybug fighting off the tomato minions.

"Hey!" Chloe shouted, impatient and upset with Siren. "Aren't you going to get me out of this disgusting glop?!"

She was lying down on an incomplete lasagna. She was lying on one of the noodles and was bound to it in ricotta cheese filling that had rosemary, parsley, sage, basil, garlic, Romano cheese and diced tomatoes in it. A giant ladle of tomato sauce was about to pour onto her at the hands of the minions.

Siren merely held up her hand, and then she used her water powers to create a giant orb of water. Using her powers, she chilled the water down to ice-cold.

"Oh!" Chloe said, smiling. She was hoping Siren would get her out.

Siren gave a huff, turned her face away with her nose in the air, and then blasted Chloe with the cold water. She let it go for a couple of seconds, snickering at Chloe's blubbering from the lack of air. Siren then stopped the water before looking at Chloe with a stern expression.

"What was _THAT_ for?! I'm the mayor's daughter! You can't..." Chloe began, but...

Siren started opening and closing her hands like someone's mouth before saying, "Blah, blah, blah. That's all I'm hearing out of _you_. What makes you think I even _care_ who your daddy is?"

Chloe was speechless, but she failed to retort.

" _You're_ the one responsible for this situation, you know that?" Siren sternly said, crossing her arms. "None of this would be happening if you and Sabrina hadn't destroyed Matt's tomato garden with wild animals _AND_ insulted his cooking without trying it!"

Chloe once again tried her best to respond, but nothing came out.

"So, lost for words? As it should be. After all, I hit the nail on the head; something a lot of other people fail to do where you're concerned." Siren said.

 _ ***CRASH! SPLAT***_

Siren saw that Ladybug and Cat Noir were outnumbered, and then she knew she had to step in and help.

"Hey! Don't just leave me here!" Chloe shouted.

"Do you want to get out of this in one piece or don't you?" Siren inquired harshly.

"Yes..." Chloe meekly said.

"Then let me fight _my_ way." Siren said, before looking ahead.

"But all this gunk is ruining my clothes!" Chloe complained.

"You're about to be smothered in more boiling hot tomato sauce and another noodle layer and you're more concerned about your _clothes_ rather than your _lungs?!_ Get your priorities in order!" Siren barked.

Chloe was about to use fake tears, and then Siren rolled her eyes.

"Fine!" Siren said, as she then dug into the ricotta filling and then grabbed Chloe by the arm. She pulled Chloe out and then she set her on the ground, but not without glaring at her.

"Go get cleaned up, and once all is said and done, you _WILL_ apologize to Matt for destroying his tomato garden _AND_ you're going to fix it from the soil up! And I'll make sure you and Sabrina are the ones doing it instead of one of your staff members! Try anything and you'll be soaking wet!"

Chloe nodded before running for cover.

Siren immediately ran over and began using her water powers to keep the tomato minions at bay. She chilled the water down to try and freeze the tomatoes. Siren noticed that they slowed down when that happened.

Meanwhile, Ladybug and Cat Noir were just slamming the tomatoes and crushing them.

"This is becoming a little overwhelming," Cat Noir said, as the trio all had their backs to each other. They were cornered. "What are we going to do?"

"It's not like I can summon any sea animals! I'm on legs to start with, and since when do sea creatures eat tomatoes, anyway?" Siren said, also frustrated with the situation.

"Eat tomatoes? That's it!" Ladybug said, before taking out her yo-yo again. "Lucky Charm!"

Ladybug shot the yo-yo up in the air and then in her hand landed...

"Huh? Basil? How is _this_ going to help?" Ladybug inquired.

Mad Tomato immediately heard 'basil' and he stopped attacking. He halted the attacking of the tomato minions and then floated over to the trio.

"Basil?! Fresh basil, at that!" Mad Tomato said, his eyes lighting up with happiness. "This is great! That brat not only destroyed my garden's tomatoes, but she had those animals ravage my basil supply, too! Thank you so much!"

Ladybug smiled and said, "How about we stop all of this fighting for a little bit and have a snack break? I'm craving a fresh Caprese salad. What about you two?"

Siren and Cat Noir immediately caught on to Ladybug's plan - she knew that a Caprese salad did not need a spatula.

"Yeah, I'm starving," Siren said, nodding. "And I don't care for fish and tomato recipes. I don't eat fish as a rule."

"A fresh salad sounds good to me!" Cat Noir said in agreement.

Hawkmoth knew what was going on.

 _"Don't listen to them! They're trying to distract you!"_ Hawkmoth telepathically shouted.

Mad Tomato did not listen to Hawkmoth and then he flew off to begin cooking. He conjured up a workspace and started to make the salad. He failed to notice that his spatula was lying on the ground.

Ladybug immediately picked up the spatula and bent it, breaking it into two pieces. She let the akuma fly out.

"Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug shouted, as she activated her purification in her yo-yo and then caught the akuma. After it was purified, she let the butterfly go. "Bye-bye, little butterfly!"

She took a remaining basil stem and tossed it in the air while shouting, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

In a wave of red light, everything - save for Matt's garden - was restored. Mad Tomato was engulfed in a blackish-purple fluid cloud, before turning back to normal. Matt was revealed to be of Caucasian descent. His skin tone was peach, his eyes were blue, he had short brown hair that reached down to his neck, he had a six-pack abdomen and was wearing a white t-shirt, black jeans, and black shoes.

"Pound it!" The trio shouted, doing a three-way fist bump.

"I'll go find Chloe and get her to clean up her act and fix that damage. I didn't use my power to cause my Miraculous to do the countdown, so I can take it from here." Siren said, as she jumped into the river and started to swim off to find Chloe.

"I have to say that Siren certainly puts her foot or fin down HARD when it comes to Chloe." Cat Noir said.

"Yeah. I wish more people had the guts to do that." Ladybug offhandedly said.

Since both Cat Noir and Ladybug had used their respective powers, they immediately took off to find a place to hide and release the transformations.

A few minutes later...

Siren had gathered her and Sabrina up and brought them back to Matt's garden. With Siren supervising, Chloe and Sabrina were grudgingly replanting and fixing Matt's garden.

"Ugh! This is disgusting! My manicure!" Chloe complained.

"No complaining, Chloe. Maybe now you won't take all of those gourmet meals for granted. It's hard work growing and raising the produce and meats we like eating, so now you'll see why booing someone's cooking without trying it is insulting to chefs." Siren said, ready with water just in case.

"Siren's right, Chloe." Sabrina meekly said, while working on replanting the tomato plants.

Chloe merely groaned while going back to work with putting the soil in place; needless to say, she was not happy about getting her hands dirty.

Siren smirked as she watched Chloe getting her just desserts for once.

* * *

After Chloe and Sabrina cleaned up their mess, Siren released the transformation and gave Finni some saltines to eat.

"You were kind of harsh with Chloe, but you were right to try and get her to fix what she broke for once," Finni said, eating her crackers. "I'm sure the mayor will uphold his promise to discipline her from now on."

"I know I was hard on her, but _someone_ had to give her her karma. Since Ladybug and Cat Noir won't do it, then I will." Rochelle said, half-regretting her behavior and half-happy that she got to see Chloe getting her hands dirty.

"But it seems like you and Ladybug were on the same page about Chloe for once," Finni said. "Makes me wonder who she really is."

"Same here," Rochelle said. "But the only clue is that Ladybug is most likely another one of Chloe's constant bullying targets."

"Like Marinette? Chloe always torments her." Finni said.

"Yep." Rochelle agreed. "It would be great if I knew who Ladybug was. Then we could not only be best friends, but we could cover for each other when we needed to."

"Rochelle?" A voice said; Finni immediately dove to hide in Rochelle's hair.

Rochelle turned around and saw Marinette, and she was carrying a few shopping bags from a nearby fabric store. For a few seconds, Rochelle saw Ladybug's mask over Marinette's face. However, Rochelle blinked and refocused.

"Oh, hey Marinette," Rochelle said. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Marinette said, albeit her eyes were darting all over the place. "I was just at the fabric store getting some fabrics in different shades of blue."

"Blue, huh?" Rochelle said. She looked in the bags and saw the colors were Bleu de France, sea foam green, periwinkle, etc. All of Siren's colors. "What might your inspiration be? Siren, perhaps?"

Marinette flinched and flailed a bit before calming down a bit.

"Um, yes. Siren! She really is a great help to Ladybug and Cat Noir, isn't she?" Marinette said, as if she was trying to cover something up.

Rochelle merely narrowed her eyes a bit in suspicion.

 _'Getting anxious whenever the superheroes are brought up in conversation? Either she's a big fan, or...'_ Rochelle thought.

"She sure is." Rochelle said, being perfectly natural.

"So, I was thinking of designing and making an outfit inspired by her!" Marinette said, changing the topic.

"Sounds great! I know you've got what it takes to make it big in the fashion design industry!" Rochelle said.

"Thank you!" Marinette said. "Hey, since you seem to have the same build as Siren, why not come to my house and model for me?"

"Okay!" Rochelle said. _'And then maybe I can confirm whether or not Marinette really is Ladybug. If my suspicions are right, then I can tell her that I'm Siren.'_

Rochelle and Marinette started to go over to Marinette's house to begin working on the clothes.

* * *

Meanwhile, Chloe was still fuming about having to clean up the garden. She was griping and whining over being forced to get her hands dirty.

"I can't believe that Siren! I'll get daddy to show her!" Chloe complained while dialing her father. "Daddy! You'll never believe what Siren made me do!"

However, Chloe was not watching where she was going and was about to bump into someone.

"What do you mean there's nothing you can do, daddy?! You're the mayor! ... You promised Siren you'd do WHAT?! That you'd start 'properly disciplining me?!' I can't believe you! Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" Chloe whined again before hanging up.

Although Chloe would never admit it to anyone, she appreciated that Siren was there to help Paris. What made Chloe angry was the way Siren treated her with contempt while she was respectful and kind to everyone else around her.

However, just as Chloe was ranting and raving over how she had to get her hands dirty and that her dad would not help her, she slammed into someone while turning a corner.

It was girl who was about seventeen, with fair skin, black hair in a waterfall braid, wearing a white blouse, black tights, a purple skirt, and beige Victorian boots. Her eyes were royal blue. She was wearing a brooch with her hometown's name on in, and it was gold, silver, bronze, and violet. She was also wearing a spider hair pin in her braid. Her name was Melanie Lilydale.

They both landed on their rear ends.

"Oh, excuse me," Melanie said, as she stood up. "I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings."

"Yeah, you SHOULD be sorry!" Chloe shouted, as she also stood up. "Who do you think you are, slamming into the mayor's daughter like that?!"

"Just someone who bumped into someone by accident. Try not to blow it out of proportion." Melanie said, trying to be cordial to Chloe.

"Ugh! Pathetic! And that brooch you're wearing is TOTALLY tacky! You have to ditch it!" Chloe said, as she grabbed the brooch.

"Hey! That's mine! Give it back!" Melanie shouted, as she grabbed for her brooch. "That's something I inherited from my parents! Hand it over!"

"No! Rude people like you who have no fashion sense need to be taught a lesson!" Chloe said as she threw the brooch away.

Melanie ran after her brooch, but Chloe tripped her and caused Melanie to fall face-first onto the pavement.

"Ha! That should teach you to mess with Chloe Bourgeois!" Chloe cackled while walking away.

Melanie grabbed her brooch back up and started crying. She did nothing wrong - all that happened was that she bumped into Chloe by accident, but she treated it like she committed some kind of crime.

"How rude... How cruel...!" Melanie hiccuped as she kept crying.

Back in a high tower in town...

A window opened up and let the light into a room where there were white butterflies flying everywhere. A man with a silver face mask, a butterfly brooch, and a cane was standing there - Hawkmoth.

"Ah... The pain of feeling affronted even though you are an innocent and tried to apologize. How wonderful!" Hawkmoth said, as he opened his hand.

One of the butterflies flew into his palm and then he infused it with dark magic. The butterfly became blackish-purple and then Hawkmoth set it free.

"Fly away my little akuma! Allow this poor girl to take her revenge!" Hawkmoth said as the akuma flew out the window.

The akuma flew over to Melanie and landed on her brooch. Her eyes had Hawkmoth's symbol glowing around her face, and then she heard his voice.

 _"Black Widow. I am Hawkmoth. Such a rude, hoity-toity girl must be punished. I will help you with this endeavor so long as you get me the Miraculous of Ladybug and Cat Noir in return."_

"Understood. I'll do whatever you want." Melanie said, and then bubbles that were blackish-purple surrounded her.

Emerging from the spell, Melanie's skin was now pale, her eyes had become white white, her hair turned silver silver, she was wearing a black dress with spider webs decorating it, and she was wearing black boots. Around her eyes was black face paint that was made to look like a mask, and it was in the shape of a spider. Her spider hair pin turned black and was decorated like a black widow spider, and her legs turned into legitimate spider legs. She was carrying a scythe in her hands, and she was growling with rage.

She used the top of the handle where the blade met the wood and then she shoot spider thread against a wall. She started using it to swing around town like Ladybug would use her yo-yo.

At the Grand Paris Hotel, Chloe had just settled into her room after a long, luxurious bath. She was angry that she had to go through everything with Mad Tomato, plus being forced to clean up her mess. Chloe was fuming.

However, just as Chloe was about to fully relax...

 ***CRASH! SHATTER***

Glass shattered and then Chloe turned around to see Melanie - now Black Widow - in her room holding her scythe out to Chloe.

"Hey! This is breaking and entering! This is so rude!" Chloe said.

"Oh, that's rich coming from a hypocrite who is rude to everyone else, and doesn't even APOLOGIZE for bumping into someone and then tormenting her!" Black Widow shouted as she shot a spider web around Chloe.

"AAAAAAAAAHH!" Chloe screamed.

* * *

Back at Marinette's place, Rochelle was in Marinette's room modeling for her. However, Rochelle was also looking around for potential clues as to whether or not Marinette was Ladybug.

Marinette had her measuring tape out, taking Rochelle's measurements and trying to write everything down.

"You know your stuff, Marinette," Rochelle said. "And I love the color choices you picked out for me."

"Thank you!" Marinette said, before putting the measuring tape down.

Marinette took one of the Bleu de France fabric pieces and then brought it next to Rochelle. However, Marinette thought she saw Siren in Rochelle's place for a few seconds.

Rochelle kept looking around and trying to find any evidence that pointed to Marinette being Ladybug. Rochelle spotted a pink book in a box, and started to walk over to the desk.

She was about to reach out and take the book, but then her gut told her, 'NO!' Rochelle then backed off.

Marinette saw Rochelle was looking at her diary, and then she said, "I see you didn't try taking my diary. Chloe once had Sabrina steal my diary once to try and get me to pull out of the class president election."

"Lying, cheating, stealing, blackmail... That girl needs to learn some manners. She's rotten to the core." Rochelle began ranting. "Chloe may have her father's connections and money, but that means squat as far as I'm concerned. I wish that Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Siren would just let her suffer for once."

Marinette paused a bit. Rochelle's statement about Chloe getting what she deserved for a change seemed familiar to her.

However, Rochelle caught Marinette's hesitation, and then the latter continued and said, "I agree. Chloe needs to get her act together and I think having a wake-up call would work."

Marinette and Rochelle nodded in agreement with one another before getting back to work.

However, they heard screaming from outside. Marinette opened the hatch that led to the rooftop and then the two girls ran upstairs and outside. They saw Black Widow swinging with Chloe quite literally caught in her web.

"What in the name of...?!" Marinette said, surprised. "Did Chloe upset someone again? Aside from Mad Tomato, have many akumas is that today?!"

"Today? And how do you know about Mad Tomato?" Rochelle asked, finding is strange that Marinette would say something like that.

Marinette flinched and started to stammer and then she meekly said, "It was today's Ladyblog post."

Rochelle still smelled a rat, but she also knew that Marinette had a point that the blog most likely had that incident recorded. Rochelle also knew that Marinette's behavior was off as soon as the Mad Tomato madness was mentioned.

 _'Okay, I have more clues. Whenever Ladybug is mentioned, or any akuma-related stuff for that matter, Marinette acts like this. Marinette has the same hair and eyes as Ladybug, too... This can't be a coincidence.'_ Rochelle thought.

Trying to figure out a way to get away to transform without raising any red flags herself, Rochelle casually took out her phone and checked the time.

"Oh no, look at the time! I gotta get home to help mom get ready for lunch! Sorry to cut this short, Marinette!" Rochelle said, before running down the hatch and then leaving down the trap door to get out of Marinette's room.

She left the bakery to go and hide to transform into Siren.

Once Rochelle left, Tikki came out of hiding and told Marinette, "That was convenient... Maybe a little _too_ convenient. Anyway, let's go!"

"Right! Tikki, Spots On!" Marinette shouted, activating her Miraculous.

Marinette formed a red mask with black spots on her face, and then a matching body suit with a black neck, and a yo-yo in the same design on her waist appeared. She posed, ready to go as Ladybug.

Rochelle did not see Ladybug zip away from the roof, but she had once again made her way to the river. She let Finni come out of hiding, and then Rochelle grew serious.

"Finni, gills on!" Rochelle shouted, as she rubbed the shell on her choker.

Her body was given a bleu de France body suit that had scales sparkling in periwinkle with hints of sea foam green in the light. Her face was given a mask in a matching scheme; her chest was given a periwinkle-sea foam green seashell bra and her hair was put up in a braid, fastened with a matching scallop shell. Her feet were given flats. Her ankles were given loose ruffled fabric that were also blue de France with the periwinkle sparkle affect; same with her wrists, waist and hips. On her waist was a scallop-shell in the same color scheme, with a string.

Siren then leaped into the water and then started to swim upriver.

 _'I can't believe I have to clean up Chloe's mess AGAIN! Can't that brat learn her lesson for once?'_ Siren thought, aggravated.

Near the town square, Black Widow had created a giant web that she could freely walk around on. She was using her scythe to build the web and make it even bigger. Black Widow also had Chloe trapped, and she was wrapped in more of Black Widow's spider silk. She even used her silk to put a gag on Chloe. She did not want the blonde's idle prattle annoying her or anyone else for that matter. Black Widow was walking on all eight of her spider legs when making the web.

Cat Noir had made his way to the scene before either of the girls did, but was struggling to keep up against the flying spider webs.

Ladybug soon made it. She swung in on her yo-yo and then she grabbed Cat Noir's hand to get him out of the way of the webs. However, as they landed on the next roof, Black Widow saw who she was up against.

"Ah, perfect timing," Black Widow said. "My next _meal_ \- Ladybug en Croute and Cat Noir au vin!"

Chloe was screaming for help, but her mouth was still bound and gagged from the spider silk.

"Okay, Black Widow! Enough of this!" Ladybug said.

"Alright then," Black Widow said, lowering her scythe. Ladybug and Cat Noir just gave her a look of confusion. "What? You told me to stop, so I'm stopping."

 _'It can't be that simple!'_ Ladybug thought.

 _"You can't be giving up now, Black Widow! You need to seize their Miraculous!"_ Hawkmoth shouted.

Black Widow ignored Hawkmoth; she knew what she was doing.

"Okay, so the akuma must be in the brooch!" Cat Noir said, before leaping at Black Widow.

"CAT, NO!" Ladybug shouted, but Cat Noir had already jumped the gun.

Black Widow smirked and then she shot another web at Cat Noir. He wound up getting stuck to the bigger web - next to Chloe - and then Black Widow used more silk to tie him up.

"Ugh!" Ladybug groaned, now by herself.

Siren saw the scene going down, and then she jumped out of the water, her fin changed into legs again and she landed on the ground.

"Siren! Perfect timing!" Ladybug said.

"Looks like Cat Noir is in a bit of sticky situation." Siren said, unintentionally making a joke.

Ladybug snickered at this.

"Hey! My jokes are hilarious!" Cat Noir protested.

"Alright, let's get this done quickly!" Ladybug said, as she was about to use her Lucky Charm and Siren was about to use her water powers.

However, Black Widow beat them to the punch and she used her spider silk to snag Ladybug's arm. She then pulled Ladybug into the web and then wrapped her up in silk.

"Okay. I'll just take your Miraculous items and get it over with!" Black Widow began, but Siren immediately reacted by blasting water between Black Widow and Ladybug.

The water hit the silk on Chloe's mouth and broke it. Chloe managed to get some air and she started hollering and screaming again.

Black Widow merely put the blunt end of her scythe under Chloe's face before saying, "Speak briefly, _prey_."

"I can't believe you're doing this to the mayor's daughter! You're so disrespectful and rude to people! You don't even _care_ about others, do you?!" Chloe accused.

 _"Pot, kettle, black, Bourgeois."_ Siren and Black Widow said simultaneously. They then looked at each other and smiled at one another - they agreed on something.

Black Widow then wrapped Chloe's mouth up in silk again.

Siren also noticed that her water would break the spider silk. She then realized that with Ladybug and Cat Noir literally tied up, she was the only chance she had against Black Widow.

"You and I can be really good friends since we both don't care for Bourgeois's borderline criminal behavior." Black Widow said, letting her guard down with Siren.

"I know how you feel," Siren said. "But don't you think this is going a little far?"

"No! This brat has gotten away with too much and it's going to stop _now_!" Black Widow replied, as she readied a venom shot to hit Chloe with.

"Listen, I get it!" Siren said, causing Black Widow to stop. "I honestly get it! And you're not the only one who's been akumatized because of Chloe's bratty, inappropriate, criminal behavior. But this isn't the way to get her to shape up."

"Oh come on!" Black Widow said. "Hasn't Ladybug called her out on it by now?"

"I know someone who definitely has," Siren said, referring to herself as Rochelle. "But once again, doing this to her makes you no better than Chloe."

This only got Black Widow angrier. She held up her scythe to Siren and was ready to fire more silk. She shouted, "And who's going to stop me?! You?"

"Yes. Catch me if you can!" Siren said, winking, and then she leaped back into the water. She started swimming downriver at top speed.

"GET BACK HERE!" Black Widow hollered before using her silk to swing. She began to chase after Siren.

"Hey, what about us?!" Cat Noir shouted.

"I'm sure she has a plan. Remember how her water powers caused the silk to break?" Ladybug said. "We're just going to have to wait until she gets back and have her free us."

Ladybug was not happy about being stuck in a web next to Chloe. Cat Noir was also unhappy that he was stuck and could not use his Cataclysm at the moment.

Siren kept swimming down the river. Meanwhile, Black Widow was swinging from one building to another, shooting webs at Siren. Siren kept ducking under the water to avoid the webs. Like she hypothesized, water would cause the webs to dissolve, just like how cobwebs in a house would disintegrate after being sprayed by water.

Siren breached the water and shot water at Black Widow, and this knocked her back a bit. Siren took this chance to swim back upriver to try and help her team.

"Why you...!" Black Widow growled; she was not happy about getting wet. She started to keep chasing after Siren through the air.

Siren kept an eye on Black Widow, who kept shooting webs at her. Siren would either breach the water to dodge the webs, or dive under the water. Either way, the webs hit the water and the water would destroy the webs.

 _"Black Widow! Hurry and get those Miraculous!"_ Hawk Moth shouted.

Remembering her goal, Black Widow just started to swing back to where Ladybug and Cat Noir were stuck. She told Siren, "As much as I would love to play this shark and guppy game with you, I have Miraculouses to seize!"

Siren immediately knew that she had to beat Black Widow to Ladybug and Cat Noir, so she broke into top speed to swim all the way there.

Ladybug and Cat Noir were struggling to break free. However, they saw Black Widow and Siren racing to get there.

"Cat Noir, is your hand free?" Ladybug asked.

"Yes. I know what you're saying, and I'm on it!" Cat Noir said. "Cataclysm!"

Cat Noir used his Cataclysm to break their web, and then they began falling. However, Ladybug - to her chagrin - caught Chloe and then she used her yo-yo to swing to safety.

"Get to cover!" Ladybug said.

"And you'd _better_ apologize to this girl once all is said and done, understand?!" Siren demanded.

Chloe rolled her eyes before running for cover.

Siren rolled her eyes. She was questioning why Ladybug and Cat Noir would save Chloe's skin all the time if it was just going to keep leading to more akuma attacks.

Meanwhile, Cat Noir used his baton to land safely. Ladybug jumped down to the ground next to her partner.

Black Widow saw what happened and then she tried to shoot webs at them again. She shot a few webs and then they were making a direct path to Ladybug and Cat Noir. Siren saw this and then she used her water blasts to hit the webs. They they went limp, disintegrated, and then fell to the ground.

One of the pads on Cat Noir's ring blinked out, and then he said, "I'm going to change back in a few minutes! Let's finish this."

Black Widow landed and then she said, "Yes. Let's end this, indeed."

Black Widow was about to shoot a massive web, when Siren used her water powers to create a water shield to guard her team. The web hit the water, but the web just dissolved in front of the shield.

"I'm not sure how long I can hold this shield up!" Siren said.

"I'm on it!" Ladybug said. "Lucky Charm!"

Ladybug shot her yo-yo up in the air. In her hand landed...

"Lemongrass oil? What am I supposed to do with _this_?" Ladybug asked, looking at the bottle of lemongrass oil.

Ladybug soon remembered something that her mother taught her: lemongrass oil had insecticidal properties.

"Siren, can you mix this with your water?" Ladybug asked.

Siren knew what Ladybug's plan was, and said, "You got it! Cat, can you distract Black Widow for a bit?"

"Okay!" Cat Noir shouted, before leaping into action.

Siren used her water powers to form a ball of water. Ladybug emptied the vial of oil into the water, and then Siren got ready to aim. Cat Noir and Black Widow were going at it, and Siren decided to be patient and wait for a clear shot.

Once Cat Noir and Black Widow started pushing on each other with their weapons, Siren saw an opening. She aimed for Black Widow's back and she shot the water directly at her.

"Hey, what's the..." Black Widow began, but then she started to choke, as if asphyxiating, and she began throwing up and grew weaker.

"The brooch! Get it!" Siren shouted.

Cat Noir snatched the brooch off Black Widow's neck and then he tossed it over to Ladybug.

Ladybug smashed it, and released the akuma.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize!" She caught it with her yo-yo. "Gotcha!"

She then purified the akuma and released it.

"Bye-bye, little butterfly," Ladybug said, before tossing the vial of oil in the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

In a wave of red light, everything turned back to normal, like nothing happened. Black Widow then changed back into Melanie, and Melanie was perfectly healthy.

"What... What happened?" Melanie asked.

"Pound it!" The trio said, doing a three-way fist bump.

Ladybug walked over to Melanie and then bent down.

"What's going on?" Melanie inquired.

"Everything's fine," Ladybug said, giving Melanie her brooch back. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Thank you." Melanie said, putting her brooch back on.

Siren and Cat Noir were watching the scene. However, Cat Noir noticed his ring was about to run out of pads, so he said, "I gotta clear out! See you again!"

He immediately ran for cover and Siren merely smiled. However, her attention turned to Ladybug.

"I gotta split. See you next time, Siren!" Ladybug said, as she then used her yo-yo to swing away.

However, Siren secretly hit the river and decided to follow Ladybug. She was very curious as to who she was, but she already had a hunch. Siren surfaced when Ladybug stopped at one particular rooftop: the Dupain-Cheng Bakery rooftop.

 _'Just as I suspected.'_ Siren thought.

Siren hid from view when she saw Ladybug release the transformation, revealing Marinette.

Siren smiled, and she thought, _'YES! I knew it! Ladybug is Marinette! I'm surprised no one else has clued in by now, not even Alya!'_

Siren watched as Marinette went inside her room, and then Siren giggled. She knew that the best way to talk to Marinette about it was to also tell her that she was Siren. She could not wait for the big moment.

Siren went to her usual hiding spot and then she leaped onto the river bank. She then said, "Gills off."

Finni left the choker and landed in Rochelle's hands.

"I knew it! I knew it! Ladybug and Marinette are one and the same! I sensed Tikki in Marinette's bedroom when we were there earlier!" Finni said, delighted.

"Yeah, this is great news! Ladybug is one of my best friends! This is going to be the best. I can't wait to tell Marinette!" Rochelle said.

"Wait, you're going to tell her you know she's Ladybug?" Finni asked.

"Yes," Rochelle said. "And I was going to tell her that I'm Siren. Think of it this way: we can cover for each other when and if need be. And it would just be easier for someone other than mom to know."

"...I see. Since you're both superheroes, it doesn't matter whether or not you know your secret identity, and I'm sure it will be easier on Marinette to have a friend on the inside to confide in." Finni said.

"Now, I just need to find the right timing to bring it up." Rochelle said.

* * *

School went off without a hitch, and the afternoon was peaceful. Rochelle was at her locker putting her things away, while keeping an eye out for Marinette.

She soon spotted he girl in question walking down the hall by herself. Rochelle smiled, seeing an opening.

"Hey, Marinette!" Rochelle said, approaching her friend. "I need to talk to you in private after school today. Can we meet by the river?"

Marinette was nervous at this prospect, but she said, "Okay... I'll see you then."

"Great! Make sure Alya doesn't tail you." Rochelle said, before closing her locker and then leaving.

Marinette grew worried; she was hoping against all hope that Rochelle did not know she was Ladybug.

However, Tikki came out and said, "I thought I sensed another kwami when Rochelle was around..."

"You mean...?" Marinette said.

"If my hunch is right, then I think so." Tikki said, before going back into Marinette's bag.

Later at the river, Rochelle was waiting for Marinette, and hoping that she could broach the topic without scaring her off.

"I'm here!" Marinette said, as she ran over to Rochelle.

"Perfect timing." Rochelle said, with a smile on her face.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Marinette asked.

"Oh, it's pretty simple, Marinette... Or should I say 'Ladybug?'" Rochelle said, with a smile and wink.

"What?! Me? Ladybug? That's crazy talk." Marinette said, trying to cover it up.

"You can come out, Tikki," Rochelle said to Marinette's bag. "It's safe."

Tikki flew out of the bag, and said, "Secret's out..."

"WHA-HUH?!" Marinette shouted, flailing around. "How did you...?!"

"I just connected the dots, really," Rochelle said. "You and Ladybug have the same hair and eyes, you have the creative and abstract thinking ability, you're never in the same place together, etc. I then decided to follow you to see where you would change back to confirm my suspicions. I wasn't surprised when I found out you're Ladybug. However, I _am_ surprised that no one else has figured it out, not even Alya."

"What are you planning on doing?!" Marinette asked, frantic.

Rochelle merely giggled before saying, "Don't be silly, Marinette. You know me: ethical to the core. I'm planning on keeping your secret, no strings attached."

"Y... You do?" Marinette asked.

"Of course. Who do you think Siren is?" Rochelle said, as she lifted her hair up and let Finni come out.

"Tikki!" Finni shouted.

"Finni! It's been nearly a millennium!" Tikki said, as both kwamis shared a hug.

"You're Siren?" Marinette asked.

"I sure am. A new girl arrives in school at the same time a new Miraculous Holder shows up? It can't be a coincidence," Rochelle said. "Besides, my mom knows that I'm Siren, too. Now you have a friend on the inside to help cover for you whenever you have to transform, and someone to confide in if you're having trouble as Ladybug."

Marinette remained silent.

"I can trust you with my secret, Marinette," Rochelle said, taking Marinette's hands. "Trust me with yours."

Marinette smiled, and then both girls hugged. Marinette said, "Okay! I trust you!"

"Thanks. This is going to be great! But no telling Alya, okay?" Rochelle said.

Both girls giggled at this. They decided to walk home together, chatting and gossiping about stuff, solidifying their friendship and affirming their positions as secret keepers to each other.

* * *

 **Rochelle is _definitely_ a lot smarter than the average person! It only took a few clues, but she was able to figure out that Marinette is Ladybug! And now she has a friend and ally on the inside! I'm sure things will be a lot of fun for these two in the future!**

 **Coming up, a singing competition is being held in Paris, but Chloe tries to sabotage someone else's voice! Once again, an akuma** **rises and this time she's laying down the law - LITERALLY!**


	5. Chapter 5 Part I

**Now that Marinette and Rochelle are allies on the inside, the team dynamic might change a bit. But now things are going to get a little more intense.**

 **This is going to be a two-part chapter. An amateur singing contest is being held in Paris and the prize is spending time with Jagged Stone! Rochelle, Alya, and Marinette are VIP's through Jagged's invitation. But Chloe crosses the line and sabotages someone else's act. And you can guess what** ** _that_** **leads to! But now this akuma villain is laying down the law - literally! I got this idea from both something I had been thinking about with this story, combined with a guest reviewer's suggestion.  
**

 **This akuma villain is a combination of two OC's from Liz The Sweet Writer.**

 **Songs included:**

 **"Poor, Unfortunate Souls" - The Little Mermaid  
"Ever Blue" - Mermaid Melody (Other songs from this anime will be featured in this story, and some pieces of other songs will be in this chapter, as well)**

* * *

At the Palais Garnier, Rochelle, Alya, and Marinette were in the house in the auditorium. They were wearing VIP backstage passes around their necks and were chatting.

"I can't believe Jagged Stone gave you VIP backstage passes to this contest!" Alya said to Marinette.

"Neither can I." Marinette said, blushing and shrugging.

"You've told me that you designed an album cover for Jagged Stone once, right?" Rochelle asked.

"No joke," Alya said, chuckling. "She even autographed _Adrien's copy_ on _HIS_ request."

Marinette blushed and nearly swooned at the mere mention of her crush's name.

"But why is Jagged even holding this competition?" Rochelle inquired aloud. "Last time I checked, he does what he does for the art and because he loves it. I don't see him as a real competitor. He may be a judge on this panel, but still."

"I think it's to not only promote musical and artistic pursuits to a new generation, but I think it's because he wants to show people that music and art can be a passion for anyone who wants to do it." Marinette said.

"Like how design is a passion and career choice for you, Marinette," Rochelle said, making a comparison. "Fashion design can be considered an art, but it's also serious business for some people, too."

"Shall we check out backstage?" Alya said. "I want to get the deets on some of the competitors here!"

"Great idea!" Rochelle said. "Let's go!"

The girls all went backstage to talk to some of the contestants that were going to be in the contest. The contestants ranged from older men and women to elementary-school students and everything in between.

One particular person stood out to the girls. It was a woman who seemed to be in her twenties who was wearing a light green dress shirt, an emerald green blazer, a black dress skirt, and black high heeled shoes with black knee socks. Her eyes were also emerald green, and her hair was black, with green highlights that were made with semi-permanent hair chalk. She was wearing a jade brooch, shaped like an angel. Her skin tone was fair with a healthy amount of color in her cheeks. She in her dressing room, with the door open, and was doing voice exercises and practicing her singing.

 _"It shines forever with blue, just like my beloved sea. To protect the future now, I gather power for the people and places I should be loving..."_ She sang.

Rochelle starting clapping her hands, catching the woman's attention. She turned to Rochelle and company.

"Oh, hello," She said, as she noticed she had an audience. "I'm Jade. Jade Cosgrove."

"My name's Rochelle DeL'eau," Rochelle said. "And these are my friends Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Alya Cesaire."

"It's nice to meet all of you," Jade said, as she walked over to the girls and shook hands with them. "DeL'eau... Rochelle, your mom wouldn't happen to be Marissa DeL'eau, one of the judges, would she?"

"She is." Rochelle said.

"Oh, my!" Jade said. "I think very highly of your mother. You could say she's my inspiration - the reason I became a lawyer."

"Really?!" Rochelle said. "That sounds amazing! What type of law do you practice?"

"I'm a criminal lawyer," Jade said. "I really hope to talk to your mom after the contest and see if I can get some advice from her."

"Speaking of _criminals_..." A voice said, and then the girls all turned around and saw Chloe sashaying into the dressing room like she owned the place. "Aren't you three guilty of the crime of _trespassing?_ "

"Bourgeois..." Rochelle said with a sigh.

"What do you want, Chloe? Wait, why are you even here? Are you singing in this contest?" Marinette asked.

"Oh no, I'm the one who's going to _win_ this contest," Chloe haughtily said. "With daddy being one of the judges, my victory is assured."

"My mom's on the panel too, Chloe," Rochelle said with a smirk. Chloe faltered a bit. "She told me that there's a very strict 'no-nepotism' policy for this competition. So even if your dad _is_ the mayor _and_ a judge, that won't influence the final winner, so I wouldn't bet on daddy giving you the win if I were you. Besides, if you _did_ rely on your father to be the winner, that would just be a hollow victory because you didn't do it yourself."

Chloe was once again lost for words. Whenever it came to Rochelle, she would always say something to make Chloe lose her footing and then the whole argument.

"Then... Then, the same can be said for _you_ if you're going to sing!" Chloe said, hoping for Rochelle to not be able to refute. She gave a victorious smile.

Rochelle merely rolled her eyes.

"I'm not even in the competition to begin with, so you can't throw that back at me." Rochelle said with a shrug.

"But you're still trespassing!" Chloe said, thinking she had the upper hand. However, Rochelle, Alya, and Marinette held up their VIP passes.

"Marinette got VIP passes from Jagged Stone, so she invited me and Alya to come with her. I'm just a spectator, so there's no nepotism happening for me." Rochelle said before putting her pass down.

"In this case, they've done nothing wrong, legally or otherwise." Jade said, speaking out against Chloe.

Chloe glared at Jade, offended that an older girl would dare stand up to her.

Chloe just said, "Don't think this is over, Rochelle! I'll win this and make you eat your words!"

Chloe started to walk away when she noticed Jade's throat spray bottle. Chloe grew an evil smirk as an idea started to form in her mind. Rochelle noticed this and then her guard went up.

"Marinette, Alya, keep your eyes and ears out. I have the feeling Chloe isn't going to take this lying down." Rochelle said.

"You got it, Rochelle!" Alya said.

The girls all nodded and agreed to be on the lookout. Jade knew to keep her wits about her, too.

A phone started ringing, and it turned out to be Marinette's phone. She picked up and she saw that it was Jagged Stone.

"Oh, Jagged Stone!" Marinette said, as she took the call and left the room.

"How does she know Jagged?" Jade inquired.

"Oh, Marinette is one of Jagged Stone's go-to designers. He really likes her work," Alya explained, before turning to Rochelle. "Anyway, since Marinette has to go talk to Jagged, let's split up and go check everything else out."

"Good idea," Rochelle said. "Let's leave Jade to practice. Sorry we bothered you."

"You didn't bother me at all. It was nice to have someone to talk to other than my family," Jade said with a smile. "I hope you enjoy the show tonight."

"Thanks. Break a leg!" Rochelle said. She and Alya then left the room to leave Jade to practice.

Jade turned around to the mirror and continued her practice session. She was really excited for the contest. But what she was unaware of what was about to happen.

Once Alya was gone and Rochelle was certain that she was alone without anyone in earshot, she let Finni come out from hiding in her hair. She smiled in relief before letting her kwami sit in her hands.

"Great work standing up to Chloe like that! I love it when you put your foot down with that girl." Finni said.

"Someone has to," Rochelle giggled. "Besides, I still have to stay three steps ahead of that brat, otherwise someone's going to suffer, then we'll have to clean up yet another one of her messes."

"I just get the feeling it's going to take a near-death experience or some other catalyst for her to realize how rotten she is." Finni said, before she and Rochelle moved on so they could explore further.

Elsewhere, Marinette had finished her was also trying to make sure that she and Tikki were alone. Tikki then came out of Marinette's bag and then started to talk to her chosen.

"I'm glad Rochelle promised to keep your secret. It feels good knowing that we have someone on the inside we can trust." Tikki said.

"I know," Marinette said. "And keeping her secret in turn is the least we can do. It's great to have someone to confide in about more than just my crush on Adrien."

"Speaking of confidence, I wonder if she knows who Cat Noir is?" Tikki asked.

"Who knows. And even if she does, she might be keeping his secret, too." Marinette said with a shrug.

"Rochelle also is great at holding her own against Chloe," Tikki said. "There needs to be more people like that."

"I couldn't agree more," Marinette said. "But since Rochelle has her guard up against Chloe, we should keep an eye out, too."

"Speaking of Rochelle, let's go look for her and Alya and then get something to eat." Tikki said.

"Okay!" Marinette said, before letting Tikki hide in her bag again.

Meanwhile, Chloe had once again used her connections to get some dirt on Jade. She was waiting for Jade to leave her dressing room. She was hiding around the corner in the next corridor. Jade opened the door to her dressing room, and then left down the opposite direction to go to the restroom. Chloe snickered evilly and then made to go to Jade's room while holding a bouquet of lavender in her hands.

Rochelle was not far behind, and then saw Chloe was making her way into Jade's room.

"Come on, Finni." Rochelle said, sensing something was about to happen.

Rochelle took out her phone, quietly followed Chloe and started waiting outside the room. She started recording and then started to videotape Chloe's actions through the door - Chloe did not close it all the way.

Chloe unscrewed the atomizer on Jade's throat spray bottle and opened it up. She smirked and took out the lavender.

"Heh. Let's see that two-bit lawyer sing if she can't even _speak_." Chloe said.

She took the petals and stamens from the lavender flowers, put a few petals and some pollen into the bottle, screwed the atomizer back on, and shook the bottle around. She then put it down.

Rochelle ended the recording and made a break for it.

"I gotta tell the head judge about this!" Rochelle said, intending to find the main judge. "She may be the mayor's brat, but she won't get away with cheating and sabotage!"

Chloe left the dressing room, none the wiser that she had been caught. She giggled before leaving.

Jade came back into the room, and then she took up the bottle of throat spray.

Just as Rochelle was about to turn the corridor to get help...

" ***COUGH COUGH* *WHEEZE*** Help... Me..." Jade hoarsely shouted from her dressing room.

"No! Too late..." Rochelle shouted, before running back into Jade's dressing room.

Jade had called in a doctor, Jade's four younger sisters, and everyone involved with the competition. They were all called into Jade's dressing room. Marinette, Alya, and Chloe were there, too.

Jade was coughing uncontrollably and wheezing heavily. The doctor finished the examination.

"An allergic reaction. A pretty bad one, too," The doctor said, before turning to Jade's sisters. "Do any of you know what she may be allergic to?"

The four sisters were their own girl group called 4th Stars. They were Jade's quadruplet sisters, who were color-coded for their band.

Violet had dyed purple hair and wore purple eye contacts; Sunny had hazel eyes and blonde hair; Pinky's hair was dyed pink and she also wore pink contacts; Rain had blue eyes and her hair was died blue. The girls all wore white blouses, shoes, and socks with skirts and shoelaces in their respective colors.

"She's allergic to lavender," Violet said. "It gives her a severe asthmatic reaction and causes not only her airways to be thrown out of whack, but it causes her voice to get hoarse like this."

"How could this have happened?" Alya said.

"I know," Rochelle said, as she got everyone's attention. She then pointed to Chloe. "Chloe Bourgeois sabotaged Jade's voice by putting lavender into her throat spray."

Chloe feigned crying and whined, "How can you accuse me of that?! I would never...!"

"Ms. DeL'eau, that is slander! My daughter would do no such thing!" Mayor Bourgeois accused.

"Oh, she did, and I have proof," Rochelle said, as she took out her phone and played the recording. "And it's not slander if I'm telling the truth and backing it up with evidence."

Everyone watched the recording and they all gasped. They all angrily looked at Chloe, who tried to play innocent.

"I can't believe you recorded me!" Chloe whined.

"I knew you were up to no good as soon as I saw you walk into Jade's dressing room." Rochelle said.

"This is incriminating evidence of cheating!" The head judge said. "Chloe Bourgeois, you are disqualified! Mr. Mayor, for letting your daughter do this, I am hereby dismissing you from your position as a judge!"

Chloe was stunned and she was unable to move. Meanwhile, the mayor started declaring that he would ruin the contest on his daughter's behalf as he was forced out of the dressing room.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Chloe?" Marinette asked.

"Hmph! At least that half-baked lawyer can't sing! Even if I can't compete, she won't be able to, either." Chloe said.

"It's YOUR fault that she can't sing!" Rochelle said.

Chloe merely scoffed before haughtily walking out of the dressing room.

" ***COUGH! COUGH!*** " Jade kept coughing and wheezing, and managed to hoarsely say, "Thank you... Rochelle... For getting help..."

"It's no problem, Jade," Rochelle said. "But honestly, that brat doesn't know when to stop."

"We can't thank you enough," Violet said. "You were there for our sister. We can take it from here."

"Okay..." Rochelle said; she and Marinette exchanged glances.

They were both hoping for one thing: no akumas.

As the girls left the room, they were concerned for Jade's health and emotional well-being, but in the back of their minds, they knew an akuma could strike at any moment if Jade's mood got even worse.

"We'll go get your allergy medicine, sis," Rain said. "It's too bad your voice won't come back in time for the contest. It's in four days. That Bourgeois brat...! We should sue!"

The sisters left the room, leaving Jade alone. They were all griping and angry about Chloe's sabotage. Jade, however, was feeling the worst of it. She was so angry, sad, and depressed at not being able to sing.

Back at Hawkmoth's hideout, he sensed Jade's anguish and smiled.

"Anger at being cheated. Sadness at literally unable to have her voice heard. It's a chorus to my akumas!" Hawkmoth said.

He opened his hand and one of the butterflies landed in. Hawkmoth covered the butterfly with his other hand and infused it with black magic. He then released the akuma and let it fly outside the window.

"Fly away my little akuma. Let this poor woman find her voice again!" Hawkmoth said, as he watched his akuma leave.

The akuma flew into the Palais Garnier window, into Jade's dressing room, and finally landed on her brooch. A butterfly-shape appeared on Jade's face, and this was the sign that she and Hawkmoth were in telepathic touch.

 _"Lady Laryngitis, I am Hawkmoth. In exchange for the Miraculouses of Ladybug and Cat Noir, I will give you the power to literally render Chloe Bourgeois lost for words."_

Jade's voice had returned thanks to the akuma, and then she said, "As you wish."

Blackish-purple bubbles covered Jade and then she underwent her transformation. Once she emerged, Jade was in a dark purple woman's suit, her brooch became a seashell, her hair was up in a bun, her legs turned into octopus tentacles, she was holding a briefcase, and her skin was white as a ghost.

"Heh! Now to render that brat _speechless_. Literally." Lady Laryngitis said, as she opened up her briefcase and a crystal ball emerged from it.

In the crystal ball was an image of Chloe. After she had been kicked out of the contest, she was brought back home. She was dressed as Ladybug and LARP-ing around the hotel again. Sabrina was there, dressed as Cat Noir.

"Alright, Bourgeois. Let's see how you can get what you want when you can't even talk." Lady Laryngitis said.

She started waving her hands around the crystal ball and began to sing an incantation, _"Beluga sevruga, come winds of the Caspian Sea!"_

Blue light and mist started coming from the ball and then it started growing stronger.

 _"Larynxes glossitis ad max laryngitis, la voce to me!"_ Lady Laryngitis sang, as the mist turned into eerie hands. "Sing, Chloe."

Back with Chloe, she suddenly stopped and could not move. Her mouth opened, light glowed at the base of her throat.

"Chloe?" Sabrina asked.

"Aa-aah-ah Ah-aah-aah..." Chloe sang uncontrollably.

"Keep singing!" Lady Laryngitis said, as the mist hands magically went into the crystal ball and reached Chloe.

"Aa-aah-aah-aah Ah-aa-aah-aaah..." Chloe kept singing, as the mist hands reached Chloe's throat.

"What's going on?!" Sabrina shouted, as she backed up and could do nothing but watch.

"Aa-aah-aah... Aah-aah-aa..." Chloe sang, as one hand entered her mouth and then painlessly extracted Chloe's voice.

"Aah-aah-aah-ah aah-aah-aah-aah... Aah-aah-aah..." The ball of light that became Chloe's voice echoed as the mist hands stored it into Lady Laryngitis' brooch.

Lady Laryngitis began laughing maniacally as she watched Chloe fall to her knees, confused, while Sabrina rushed to her side.

"Chloe? What happened? Are you okay?" Sabrina inquired.

Chloe opened her mouth to speak. She was about to say, "Of course I'm okay, idiot!", but then she realized that she could not talk. In fact, she felt her throat, and realized it felt empty. Chloe made to scream, but she made no noise.

Sabrina just gave Chloe a confused look and was afraid for her 'friend.'

 _"Excellent! Now that she can't talk, use your powers to snag their Miraculous!"_ Hawkmoth said.

"Oh, you'll get them," Lady Laryngitis said. "But it's going to take a few days."

 _"DAYS?!"_ Hawkmoth shouted.

"Rome wasn't built in a day, Hawkmoth. Thus, a legal deal won't be signed in a day either. I have a plan. You just need to trust me and be patient," Lady Laryngitis said, smirking. "I have a contract to write, so I need some peace and quiet to concentrate."

* * *

Sabrina had gotten Mayor Bourgeois, told him what had happened, and now the three of them were in Chloe's bedroom. They also had called in a doctor - the same one who had checked on Jade.

"So you're saying that Chloe just started singing out of nowhere and now she just can't talk?" The doctor asked.

"Yes!" Mayor Bourgeois desperately said.

After the examination, the doctor said, "... I can't find any evidence of anything wrong, Mr. Mayor. Are you sure she isn't just faking it?"

"Faking it?!" The mayor asked incredulously.

"That's all I can really say as a professional. The only thing I can think of is that your daughter is angry because she is out of the singing contest - which is entirely her fault - and is now using this 'fake missing voice' act as a way to get attention." The doctor said.

"...It wouldn't be the first time she's lied about something." Sabrina meekly said.

Chloe gave her a glare, but since she could not talk, she could not protest otherwise. The doctor gave Mayor Bourgeois a look that said, 'See what I mean?'

The mayor grit his teeth and said, "I'll have your medical license revoked if I have anything to say!"

"I did nothing wrong," The doctor said. "And Mrs. Marissa DeL'eau can very well defend me in court if it should go that far."

The mayor took a step back and realized that the doctor was right.

"Anyway, don't call me again unless something really IS wrong with your daughter, because right now all I can see is a girl wanting to get attention by faking sick." The doctor said, as he took up his bag and left Chloe's bedroom.

Chloe started to cry silently - she would have been wailing out loud, but since she was mute, she could not.

"But something is SERIOUSLY wrong with Chloe if she's crying without a sound," Sabrina said. "But... I guess it's nice not hearing her rude, crude, mean comments coming out of her mouth for once. Ooh, if she's still mute by tomorrow, now Marinette won't have to put up with her taunting!"

Chloe made a face that was a combination of anger and disgust as hearing her 'best friend' talk smack. However, Chloe was unable to respond. Now she was beginning to feel others' pain whenever she made such remarks.

The Mayor was starting to get desperate. The doctor claimed that Chloe was faking it, and even Sabrina was not being much help.

"Sabrina... I need some time to think about what to do," Andre said. "Can you go home for now? I'll call you with any updates."

Sabrina nodded before walking out of Chloe's room to go home. She was worried about her friend, but at the same time, she also did not like how Chloe treated others. Sure, Sabrina would participate in some of Chloe's cruel acts, but there were times where Sabrina would draw the line. She finally felt that her 'friend' was getting a taste of her own medicine.

Sabrina also appreciated whenever Siren or Rochelle would put Chloe in her place. Sabrina envied those two girls for being able to do what she could not.

Chloe and her father were now in her father's office at the hotel, and they were wondering about what to do about their situation.

"What should we do...?!" The mayor said, worried about his daughter. "I'm calling a lawyer!"

"Did someone say 'lawyer?'" A voice said, and then Andre and Chloe turned around to the door to see Lady Laryngitis.

"Um, yes I did." Andre said, a little suspicious.

"Excuse my rudeness," Lady Laryngitis said with a curtsy. "I'm Lady Laryngitis. And I can help you get Chloe's voice back."

"You can?!" Andre asked, hopeful.

"Indeed," Lady Laryngitis said, as she showed her brooch. "After all, I'm the one who took it in the first place."

"WHAT?! Give my daughter her voice back this instant!" Andre demanded.

"No." Lady Laryngitis simply said, with a wicked smile.

"What?! Why not?!" The mayor demanded.

"You weren't being very polite, for starters. And if I _do_ give your daughter back her voice, who is to say she won't start picking on all of her peers again? It's also partially your fault for not disciplining her properly, if I may say so." Lady Laryngitis said.

"Picking on her peers?" Andre inquired.

"It's simple: because she's your daughter, everyone feels that there's nothing they can do to stop her _criminal behavior_ because they know that you'll just circumvent the law. I would know, I'm a lawyer. But you always choose spoiling your daughter over doing the right thing." Lady Laryngitis said.

"Isn't there some way we can work this out?!" Andre pleaded.

Lady Laryngitis smirked; this was exactly what she was hoping for.

"Why, Mayor, sir, that's what I do. It's what I'm here for," Lady Laryngitis said, beginning to sing. "To help the unfortunate victims of your daughter: the souls who can't rely on adults to do the right thing..."

She began to sing and dance to a dark tone.

 _"You have to realize that your daughter is just nasty. No one's kidding when they call her, well, a witch."_ Lady Laryngitis said, as she lifted Chloe's chin with her finger.

 _"In the coming days, she needs to mend her ways. Repent, see the light, and make a switch? Fact? Duh!"_ She sang, before giving the mayor a look that said that she knew what she was talking about.

 _"The way she treats her peers is just pathetic. Especially dear, sweet Marinette."_ Lady Laryngitis sang, as she conjured up flashback images of Chloe's behavior and how she treats everyone, Marinette in particular before she became Ladybug.

 _"I'm not joking, so don't laugh. I'm here on behalf of those she's made miserable, lonely, and depressed. Innocent..."_ Lady Laryngitis said, as she showed pictures of people in the aftermath of Chloe's bullying.

 _"Poor, unfortunate souls. In pain, in need,"_ Lady Laryngitis sang. _"There's Chloe teasing Ivan and then cruelly rejecting Kim. Does she get it? No, she don't."_

 _"These poor, unfortunate souls. So sad, so true,"_ Lady Laryngitis said. _"They're all crying on the inside, "Discipline her, please!" She doesn't get it! No she don't."_

She then conjured up images of what _should_ have happened to Chloe in those incidents. These were all appropriate consequences, but because of her father being her shield, combined with Ladybug and Cat Noir's rescues, she never experienced them.

 _"Now here is my advice: Chloe should have paid the price! You never dared to rake her 'cross the coals! You have no right to have complaints. Because your daughter is no saint. To those poor, unfortunate souls!"_ Lady Laryngitis said, showing Chloe a video of what she should have gone through as her punishment for her behavior.

She then got closer to Andre and said, "Now, here's the deal: I will give Chloe her voice back..."

Andre smiled hopefully, and Chloe was about to cry tears of joy, but then the next part dashed their optimism.

"For three days. Understand? _Three days_. Now listen up, here's the catch," Lady Laryngitis said, as she then conjured up a scroll contract. "Before midnight hits on the third day, you have to sign this contract. It states that in exchange for Chloe's voice and permanent salvation from Hawkmoth, you _will_ properly discipline your daughter, and Ladybug and Cat Noir must _willingly_ relinquish their Miraculouses to Hawkmoth."

Andre was shocked that this was the wager.

"If you _do_ sign the contract before midnight on the third day, Chloe will have her voice back _permanently_ ," Lady Laryngitis explained. "But if you _don't_... I will take Chloe's voice back... And she'll be _a slave to MOI._ "

Chloe started frantically making hand movements that said, "Don't do it, daddy!"

"So, is it a deal?" Lady Laryngitis asked, lifting Andre's face to make him look her in the eyes.

"...If I sign that contract... Ladybug and Cat Noir won't be around to protect Paris anymore." Andre solemnly said.

"True. But it's not like there will be a need for them to be around anyway. Hawkmoth will have what he wants, so attacking Paris anymore would be superfluous. And besides, you'll still have Siren to keep an eye on things." Lady Laryngitis rationalized to try and give Andre some perspective on the issue.

"But if my daughter is stuck this way, how can she...?" Andre asked.

"Oh, come on, all she has is her _looks_. A _pretty face_ ," Lady Laryngitis said, with very obvious scorn in her tone. Chloe looked very hurt by what she was saying. "And it's not like anyone misreads her _body language._ HAH!"

 _"Everyone just plain hates Chloe's blabber. The truth is they think she's just a bore!"_ Lady Laryngitis sang.

She prepared more documents about proper discipline and how to turn Chloe into a nicer girl.

 _"You see, her peers would quite prefer if she just DIDN'T say a word - 'Cause after all sir, what is all that hot air for?"_ Lady Laryngitis sang as she watched Chloe's body language - it was starting to sink in that she was hated and it was all because of her bullying behavior.

 _"COME ON, no one bothers engaging her in conversation. Even LADYBUG avoids her when she can!"_ Lady Laryngitis sang, while taking advantage of the fact that Chloe was a diehard fan of Ladybug.

 _"If you want those akumas to be gone, it's best if Chloe stays withdrawn! She zips her lips, then all's right with the world!"_ Lady Laryngitis sang, while taunting Chloe's muteness.

 _"Come on, you poor unfortunate soul! Go ahead! Make your choice,"_ Lady Laryngitis said, putting the pressure on Andre by conjuring up an image of a peaceful Paris. _"I'm a very busy lawyer, thus I haven't got all day. You'll get something: Chloe's voice."_

Andre was conflicted on what to do. He was also a little scared. Chloe was not feeling any better about this situation.

 _"You poor, unfortunate soul! It's sad, but true!"_ Lady Laryngitis sang.

She then took Mayor Bourgeois by the shoulder and showed him the contract again.

 _"If you want to keep your city safe, you have to take a stand! Read the fine-print, weigh your options, go ahead and shake my hand!"_ Lady Laryngitis sang, before holding out her hand to the mayor.

 _'I've got him cornered, watch me go!'_ Lady Laryngitis thought to Hawkmoth.

 _"This lawyer's on a roll!"_ Lady Laryngitis sang, as Andre was dripping sweat with nerves.

 _"THIS POOR, UNFORTUNATE SOUL!"_ Lady Laryngitis sang, as Andre's expression grew hard and then he gave her a firm handshake.

Lady Laryngitis gave an evil smile, before doing her incantation backwards.

 _"Me to voce la laryngitis max ad glossitis larynxes!"_ Lady Laryngitis sang, as her brooch glowed and mist appeared around her. _"Sea Caspian the of winds come, sevruga beluga!"_

Lady Laryngitis made eye contact with Chloe and said, "Open up, Chloe."

Chloe opened up her mouth and then Lady Laryngitis let the mist hands take her voice out of the brooch. Chloe's singing echoed as it entered the base of Chloe's throat and restored her voice.

"I... I can talk again!" Chloe said, jumping up and down with joy.

"Enjoy it while you can," Lady Laryngitis said. "Because if daddy doesn't sign in three days, you'll be mute and my slave!"

She began laughing maniacally as she vanished in a cloud of mist. Chloe hugged her father and started sobbing. She did not want to be enslaved to an akuma, but at the same time, she also wanted Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Siren to stay in Paris. They were caught between a rock and a hard place. The Mayor then looked out the window to try and think of a way to stop Lady Laryngitis without having to sign the contract.

* * *

 **That's a wrap for part one! Part two will be the next chapter! This was an idea I had going for a while, so since the Doc Manager wasn't really cooperating with me for a big chapters, I just decided to split this into a two-parter.**


	6. Chapter 5 Part II

**Here's part two! This is the second part of the chapter. This one will have "Ever Blue" from Mermaid Melody featured in the chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Back at the Palais Garnier, Marinette, Alya, and Rochelle decided to have a powwow to discuss the competition after Chloe had sabotaged Jade.

"With Jade out, what are we going to do?" Alya asked. "Or rather, what are the organizers going to do? They're schedule is strict and the competition is only in three days."

"It's not like we can ask someone to sing in the competition in Jade's place," Rochelle said. "That's going to be too short of notice."

"Rochelle's right," Marinette said. "But it's not like we can do much else."

The girls were pacing around when Jade's sisters ran in, frantic.

"You three!" Pinky asked, getting the girls' attention. "Have you seen Jade?! She's disappeared!"

 _"WHAT?!"_ The three girls shouted in shock.

"We went to check her dressing room to bring her home, but she was gone!" Rain explained.

"Did you text her?" Alya inquired.

"We did; no dice." Sunny said.

"If she didn't text you and she's gone, then maybe..." Marinette began, before looking to Rochelle.

"Let's hope not. That would be yet another akuma brought to you by Chloe Bourgeois." Rochelle said, rolling her eyes and making snarky movements.

"Let's check the security cameras, then," Alya said. "Since Mrs. DeL'eau is on the panel, maybe she can help us get to the security cameras."

"Good idea." Marinette said. The seven girls went to go find Marissa to get access to the security booth.

The girls had gotten permission to access the security footage. They fast-forwarded to Jade and watched as the akuma infiltrated the building and embedded itself into Jade's brooch.

They watched as Jade turned into Lady Laryngitis, cast her magic to take Chloe's voice, and then disappear.

"Why am I not surprised? I just hope Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Siren can stop that akuma before things get too bad." Marinette said, putting on an act. She and Rochelle knew that they could not talk freely with Alya and Jade's sisters around.

Jade's sisters grew concerned and they were all freaking out and clamoring for answers.

"Don't worry!" Alya optimistically said. "Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Siren will be able to stop this new akuma."

Marinette and Rochelle were flattered by Alya's confidence in them. They smiled to each other and decided that once they had some privacy, they would transform, hopefully meet up with Cat Noir, and go to the Grand Paris hotel to figure out what happened.

~Fast-Forward Two Hours~

The girls had transformed and were making their way to the hotel. Siren went by the river while Ladybug was swinging with her yo-yo. They were planning on rendezvousing with Cat Noir on the way.

Speaking of whom, Adrien was riding in the limo with the Gorilla being the driver as always. The limo made its way back to the Agreste mansion, but then Adrien saw Ladybug swinging in the air, heading to the Grand Paris Hotel. If Adrien knew one thing, it was that Ladybug being out and about meant trouble was brewing.

Once the limo made it to his house, Adrien bolted out of the limousine and made a beeline to his bedroom.

"Come on, Plagg!" Adrien shouted, as he let his kwami out. "Ladybug needs help!"

"Don't forget about Siren." Plagg offhandedly said.

"Oh, right..." Adrien said.

He immediately darted into his bedroom. He slammed the door to his room and locked it, he immediately opened the window to his room.

 _"Plagg, claws out!"_ Adrien shouted, activating his ring.

Plagg entered the ring, and then Adrien formed his mask on his face, turning his green eyes into a more cat-like version of them. He formed hair clips that looked like cat ears on his head, and then his body suit and tail appeared, including cat-like gloves and silver boots, and a belt-like tail.

He immediately leaped out the window and started making his way to the hotel. If he had learned one thing, it was that whenever they had to rendezvous at the hotel, Chloe caused the akuma more often than not.

As Ladybug reached the rooftop across from the hotel, she saw Siren catch up nearby. Siren surfaced and waved over to Ladybug. Ladybug shot her yo-yo at Siren, and Siren held up her arm to have the yo-yo wrap around it. Ladybug tugged on the yo-yo, and then it began to pull Siren up to the rooftop. As she left the water, Siren's fin turned into legs. Ladybug released the yo-yo and then Siren landed on the roof next to her friend.

"Nice work, Ladybug," Siren said. "Where's Cat Noir?"

"Sorry I'm late!" Cat Noir said, catching up with the girls.

"That's fine. Sorry we couldn't contact you about the latest akuma," Siren said. "But apparently, this new villain managed to steal Chloe's voice."

"How?" Cat Noir asked.

"We'll explain later," Ladybug said. "Let's go check on Chloe and her father first."

The trio then went into the hotel from the rooftop to talk to the mayor. They met him and Chloe in his office. Siren volunteered to look over the contract to see if there were any loopholes or contradictions in the contract.

"...And that's what's happening!" Chloe explained.

"So this 'Lady Laryngitis' is basically blackmailing you into _legally_ making us willingly give over our Miraculouses to Hawkmoth in exchange for him leaving Paris alone, proper disciplinary actions taken towards Chloe, AND permanent restoration of Chloe's voice?" Ladybug summarized.

"That's right." The mayor solemnly said.

"And if daddy doesn't sign, I'll be stuck serving that nutcase for the rest of my life and I _literally_ won't be able to say anything otherwise!" Chloe stated.

As always, she was more worried about herself.

"Wow... I knew Hawkmoth was getting smarter with his akumas, but not _this_ smart. We can't legally argue with the mayor's signature." Cat Noir said.

"It doesn't help that the mayor essentially made another contract by shaking her hand," Siren said to Mayor Bourgeois, putting the contract down after reading it over. "You essentially made a contract to decide whether or not to sign another contract. A handshake can be just as legally binding as a written one, but written contracts are more solid because they provide evidence. If you back out and start speaking to the contrary to her, then that would legally be fraud on your part."

"Wow, Siren," Cat Noir said, turning to his mermaid friend. "How do you know so much about law?"

Siren flinched a bit before saying, "...Not important. What's important is that we stop Lady Laryngitis before midnight strikes on day three."

Siren turned her attention back to the mayor and told him, "She probably gave you that extended time on purpose so you probably think this over. Sometimes you can't expect people to make a split-second decision, especially when the stakes are this high."

"On the one hand, if you sign this deal we'll have a peaceful city. On the other hand, Cat Noir and I won't be around to protect Paris anymore," Ladybug said. "It's basically a choice between us and your daughter, Mayor Bourgeois."

"I know! Daddy always chooses _me_!" Chloe said.

"That's part of the problem." Siren said, getting everyone's attention and then turning to the mayor.

"Care to elaborate, Siren?" Mayor Bourgeois inquired.

Siren took a breath, let it out, and began to speak.

She said, "With all due respect, if you were a more ethical leader, you would be setting a good example for Chloe and all of the parents in the city by showing your daughter right from wrong. That's something you clearly _haven't_ been doing, Mayor Bourgeois. And now it's come to this. You choose your daughter, you lose your city's heroes and the majority of your citizens will be angry at you. Choose your heroes, and Chloe is enslaved and mute forever. Either way, you lose something important. And last time I checked, didn't you promise me you would start disciplining Chloe properly? You've nearly broken your promise at this point."

The mayor flinched - Siren was right. He _did_ promise her that.

Chloe was lost for words, and her father was unsure of what to say at that point, too.

"Just be patient and we can solve this." Cat Noir cut in. He seemed more desperate to stop this akuma more than anyone else.

Andre and Chloe nodded, trusting the superheroes.

* * *

The trio went under the bridge at the river. Siren was in the river while Cat Noir and Ladybug were pacing around the banks.

"So we're stuck with two options: either let the mayor sign that contract, or stop Lady Laryngitis beforehand." Siren summarized.

"First option lets Hawkmoth win, but the second one just means Chloe doesn't get the karma she deserves." Ladybug stated.

"...In all honesty, I just want that girl to shape up for once. I'm sick and tired of cleaning up after her all the time. Aren't you two?" Siren said, finally offloading her true feelings.

"I feel the same way." Ladybug said.

"So what?" Cat Noir angrily asked. "Are you suggesting we let the mayor sign that deal?! No way!"

Rather than accuse Cat Noir for caring about Chloe, Siren inquired, "Is there any particular reason why?"

"Listen, I'm not going to lie: Chloe can drive me mad, too. And from what I've seen, she doesn't understand that she's the cause of a lot of these akumas. And Siren has a point: maybe an overdose of karma is what Chloe needs. It would make things a lot easier for us." Cat Noir said.

"But...?" Ladybug inquired. She knew that there was more to it.

"But I don't want to give up my Miraculous!" Cat Noir said. "I'm sure you two don't, either!"

"I think you forget: the contract says only _you and Ladybug_ have to forsake your Miraculouses _willingly_. The document says nothing about me." Siren elaborated.

"True, but... I just..." Cat Noir began, before deciding to tell the truth. "When I'm not Cat Noir, I'm just... trapped, not being allowed to do what I want. It's like I'm being held with a choker. Being a superhero lets me cut loose and be true to myself. The freedom it allows me is indescribable. Being Cat Noir really makes me happy. If I were to give all of that up... All I'll have to keep me happy is school."

"Sounds like being Cat Noir is the only fun and happiness you've ever known," Ladybug said. "I had no idea."

Cat Noir nodded.

"So selfishly, you want to stop the akuma because you want to keep being a superhero. I'm sure you wouldn't be the only one." Siren said, trying to see Cat Noir's perspective.

Cat Noir once again nodded.

"What about you, Ladybug?" Cat Noir inquired.

"Truthfully... Being Ladybug is just me at my very best. I don't know if I could ever have the same confidence abilities if I were to give it up. I admit it's tough to balance it. But I also find it exciting and an adventure," Ladybug said. "So I don't want to stop, either. Siren, what about you? I know the deal isn't making you give up _your_ Miraculous, but...?"

Siren just decided to vent. She also had her reasons.

"...I love swimming. I've always had a connection to the water and it's mysteries. As a little girl, I would always have dreams of being a mermaid, and even now I still dream that dream once in a while. I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that my favorite Disney film growing up was "The Little Mermaid." When I got my Miraculous and it allowed me to become a mermaid, it was a dream come true. The realm of the water was always so enchanting, and now that my dreams and fantasies have become real, I can't imagine life without it. It's just so exhilarating and I can't be happier." Siren said.

In her mind, she was having flashbacks of when her father was still alive. He would teach her how to swim at the beach, and she would always forge a very deep connection to the creatures of the seas. She would pretend to be a mermaid when taking baths with her father, she would sing, and would watch "The Little Mermaid" with her parents. She loved her father, and she and Marissa were very sad when he passed away.

"So I guess the happiness we get from being superheroes is the common denominator," Ladybug said. "But now we have to come up with a plan."

"Agreed," Cat Noir said, before turning to Siren. "Since you seem to know a lot about the legal system, maybe you can help us out with that?"

"Sure, I'll see what I can do," Siren said. She knew one place to look: her mother's study. "Meanwhile, we need to figure out a game plan against Lady Laryngitis. She's unlikely to cause any trouble around Paris, considering she went straight to the source and didn't attack Chloe physically. This strategy of hers is definitely a far cry from past akumas."

"That's why we have to stop her before more trouble starts," Ladybug said. "For now, let's all remain on alert."

The trio all nodded, agreeing to the plan.

* * *

The three heroes all went their separate ways for the time being. The sun had set for the day, the clock was ticking, Chloe's fate was on the line, and everyone was just mentally exhausted.

However, this did not deter them from trying to find a solution.

Adrien was pacing back and forth in his room, wondering what to do.

"I can't think of anything right now!" Adrien shouted, as he was scared of what was going to happen.

"Kid, you can't think of anything because you're too upset," Plagg said, lazily eating camembert. "Being Cat Noir makes you happy and you're scared of losing your Miraculous and by extension, the freedoms you don't have as Adrien."

Adrien looked at his kwami in surprise. He never knew Plagg to say such wise things. Adrien released a breath, knowing Plagg was right.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're right. I'm being selfish for once." Adrien said, smiling a little bit.

"...That isn't something you've been able to do because your father's restrictions," Plagg acknowledged. "But you need to chill out and calm down before you go digging around for clues."

"...I wonder how Ladybug and Siren are doing?" Adrien asked. He bolted to his computer to try and find something to help him calm down so he could think clearly.

With Marinette, she was back in her room, looking around online for clues as to how to nullify a contract. As much as she hated Chloe, Marinette knew that even she did not deserve to be enslaved for life.

"Isn't enslavement of a minor illegal?" Tikki asked.

"It should be, but it still happens. We've got to figure out something," Marinette said. "As much Chloe drives me crazy, being mute and stuck being a servant against her will is too harsh, even for her."

Tikki kept flying around, trying to think.

Rochelle and Finni were in Marissa's study, looking through all of her legal books. Finni kept giving Rochelle book after book, trying to find something they could do to circumvent the deal.

"This book is outdated and on _American_ law," Rochelle said, before shutting one of the books in her hand and putting it back on the shelf. She looked at the other ones, and kept taking books out and then putting them back. "Wrong type of law; wrong nation; fifty years old; written in Dutch."

Rochelle then sank to her knees while a pile of books were surrounding her.

"Finni, any luck on your end?" Rochelle asked.

"Nothing yet," Finni said, as she flew down from one of the shelves. "We're striking out in almost every department - there's no record of Miraculous use in court cases for criminal, property, business, or any kind of law."

Rochelle just groaned in annoyance. She was unhappy at their current situation. However, she remembered a few details.

"But we do have some clues. To start with: enslavement of a minor is illegal and cruel, but it still happens. If the mayor doesn't sign the deal, then he's consenting to the crime and he'll be implicated in it, too." Rochelle said.

"So Lady Laryngitis could get arrested, too," Finni said. "But this is Jade, someone who holds your mom in high regard. We can't let her do this."

"That's why I'm taking this so hard and trying my best to find a chink in the armor!" Rochelle said.

"We have to find a loophole or something," Finni said, as she kept flying around to see what books they could look through. "We only have two more days until the deadline."

"The only catch I can see is that Ladybug and Cat Noir have to _willingly_ relinquish their Miraculous. Ugh, if only my dad were here! He'd know what to do!" Rochelle said.

She then slammed her hands on her mother's desk, but then she heard paper pages rustle when something fell down. She heard a slight bang. Rochelle looked down and saw a book had opened up on the floor. Rochelle picked it up to put it back, but then out of her peripheral vision, she saw the words "Mermaid Miraculous" on the page. This jumped out at her, and then gave it a closer look.

"Finni, look at this," Rochelle said, calling her kwami over. "It looks like a journal or something. This entry seems to be the day we were fully settled in here."

"Interesting," Finni said. "But this isn't the time to go off on a tangent."

"You're right," Rochelle said, putting the book back on her mother's desk. She then turned back to the task at hand. "I'm calling Marinette. If I can't find anything, then we're going to have to come up with another idea."

Rochelle picked up her phone and called Marinette's phone number to do a video chat. After one ring, she saw Marinette through the camera.

"Any luck, Rochelle?" Marinette asked.

"Nothing on my end," Rochelle said, shaking her head. "How about you?"

"I don't have anything either," Marinette said. "This is the trickiest akuma we've ever dealt with."

"Minus the fact that you and Cat have to give up your Miraculouses on your own free will, I don't see any other loopholes," Rochelle said. "Heaven forbid the mayor signs the deal, then you could refuse to give Lady Laryngitis your Miraculous and that could nullify the deal. But then Chloe's a slave."

"I've never had to deal with this type of akuma." Marinette said.

"Then we're just going to have to take care of Lady Laryngitis like any other akuma," Rochelle said. "If we stop Lady Laryngitis like always, we should be okay. If we can de-evilize her before the deadline, then Jade won't remember anything that happened and the deal will be off."

"Sounds good. Oh, mom's calling me for dinner," Marinette said. "Gotta go."

"Okay." Rochelle said, before hanging up.

Rochelle made her way out of the study, but the scene panned over to the book on Marissa's desk. Rochelle turned to look back at the journal, but then shook her head and left the room.

 _'I'll worry about that journal later.'_ Rochelle thought.

* * *

Day two came and went. The trio went to school and went about their usual routine. They all had Lady Laryngitis on their minds, and they were all wondering one thing: how they would purify the akuma this time.

Evening came on day three. Back at the Grand Paris Hotel, the mayor was in his office, pacing back and forth in fear. He was unsure of what to do. He knew he could trust Ladybug and her team, but he was still scared for his daughter. Chloe was also in the office, bracing herself.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop across the way, Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Siren were lying in wait to ambush the akuma.

"Are you sure this will work?" Cat Noir inquired.

"Positive. If we just treat this new akuma like any other one, we'll be okay." Ladybug said.

"It may only be nine at night, but there's no telling how long this next fight is going to go," Siren said. "That's why we're here early."

Cat Noir saw something out of his peripheral vision and said, "Akumatized lawyer at ten o'clock."

The trio of superheroes ducked down out of sight. They watched as Lady Laryngitis flew over to the window of the mayor's office in the hotel.

Lady Laryngitis appeared in the office like a puff of smoke.

"I'm here for your signature," Lady Laryngitis said, before sneering at Chloe. " _OR_ my _new servant_."

"But it's only nine at night!" Chloe protested. "There's still time for Ladybug to stop you!"

"Maybe," Lady Laryngitis said. "But there's also time for them to mentally prepare for their careers as superheroes to end, too!"

"So... Do we have a _deal_?" Lady Laryngitis asked, as she magically presented the contract in front of the mayor again. She also made a pen appear, too.

The mayor felt helpless. However, he resigned himself to saving his daughter. He took the pen, but just as he was about to put the pen to the paper...

"NO!" Ladybug shouted, as she snagged the contract with her yo-yo and took it away. "Cat Noir!"

"On it! Cataclysm!" Cat Noir shouted. He activated his cataclysm and then the contract was turned to ash.

"Jade! Stop this!" Siren said. "This isn't right! You're a lawyer! You can't do this!"

Lady Laryngitis merely looked at Siren, but then she smirked.

"Alright, then... So _you're_ coming with me! I like your voice. It's so much prettier than Chloe's." Lady Laryngitis said, as she snagged Siren with her tentacles and then she left out the window.

"NO!" Siren shrieked.

Lady Laryngitis disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared on the rooftop across the street. Ladybug and Cat Noir chased after her.

As Siren struggled to break loose, she kept shouting for help.

"We're coming!" Ladybug shouted, as she and Cat Noir were running after her across the rooftops.

Siren kept struggling to break free. It was one thing to be captured by an akuma, but she did not want to lose her voice. Her arms were pinned down and she was unable to use her water powers.

"Poor little mermaid," Lady Laryngitis said. "You're going to be taking Chloe's place, and it was all because you said I couldn't do it."

"Let go of me!" Siren demanded.

Ladybug and Cat Noir kept running around the rooftops. Cat Noir kept an eye on his ring: he was trying to make sure to beat the clock.

"We'd better hurry up! Siren's in trouble and I'm running out of time!" Cat Noir shouted.

Lady Laryngitis soon found herself at a dead end, but she still wanted Siren's voice. She lifted Siren up and sneered at her.

"Your voice is beautiful. Much better sounding than Chloe's. You seem to have a strong character, too. Perfect for my new slave! So..." Lady Laryngitis said.

She began to sing the incantation. Her crystal ball appeared and then a blue mist formed around the two of them. She wanted Siren's voice and she wanted it badly.

"Open up, Siren!" She said, as the mist turned into hands. They were reaching towards Siren's mouth.

"No!" Siren shouted, as she refused to comply. _'If only I were in the water! Then I could summon some pelicans or something!'_

"Stop!" Ladybug shouted, as she and Cat Noir caught up to them. "Lucky Charm!"

Ladybug shot her yo-yo into the air and summoned her Lucky Charm. In her hand landed.

"A _hammer_? What I supposed to do with _this_?" Ladybug asked.

She started looking around, and saw where Lady Laryngitis was standing. Above her was a giant banner that advertised the singing contest. It was held up by nails. Ladybug saw this and she had an idea.

"Cat Noir, try and fight her off. I'm on it!" Ladybug shouted, before using her yo-yo to climb up to the banner.

Cat Noir nodded and started using his baton to fight off Lady Laryngitis while trying not to hurt Siren.

Siren managed to get one of her hands free and she soon summoned some water.

"Cat Noir, incoming water!" Siren shouted. Cat Noir smiled, and then taunted Lady Laryngitis. He did a backspacing to get away, just as Lady Laryngitis was about to hit him with another one of her tentacles.

Siren took the water she summoned, and splashed at the tentacles that were on the ground. Siren then she balled her hand into a fist and gripped it tightly. The water then froze around the tentacles. Lady Laryngitis was unable to move.

Up above, Ladybug used the hammer to remove the nails and then she took the banner, dropped to the ground, and then when she saw Lady Laryngitis was frozen in place, she and Cat Noir wrapped Lady Laryngitis up and tied a knot.

"Hey, get away!" Lady Laryngitis said.

Ladybug snagged the brooch and broke it, and then released the akuma.

"Get out of here, you nasty bug! No more evildoing for you, little akuma," Ladybug said, as she opened up her yo-yo. "Time to de-evilize!"

She trapped the akuma in her yo-yo and then purified it. She released it and said, "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!"

She threw her hammer into the air, and then in a wave of red light, everything changed back to normal. Lady Laryngitis turned back into Jade, and then her brooch was fixed.

"Ugh... COUGH... How did... I get here?" Jade hoarsely asked.

"Pound it!" The trio shouted, before sharing a three-way fist bump.

Siren immediately made to check on Jade.

"Are you okay?" Siren asked, kneeling down.

Jade merely nodded. Ladybug and Cat Noir watched the scene, but Cat Noir heard a beep coming from his ring.

"Uh-oh. I gotta go! Hope to hear your sweet voice later, m'lady." Cat Noir said, before flirting with Ladybug and then leaving.

Ladybug and Siren merely shook their heads in a combination of amusement and annoyance with Cat Noir.

 _"NO! We were so close! We were THIS CLOSE!"_ Hawkmoth shouted, as he pinched his fingers together to emphasize how close he did. _"Contract or not, I will get those Miraculouses!"_

* * *

The next day, everyone had gathered to the Palais Garnier for the contest, which was fully under way. Several acts had performed, and the singers ranged from people who tried to emulate Jagged Stone to little girls who were obsessed with Disney Princess songs.

Using her pass, Rochelle once again in Jade's dressing room. The latter's sisters were also there.

Jade was still suffering from the allergic reaction to the lavender. Her voice was not as hoarse as it was before, but it was still pretty bad. Jade's turn in the contest was about to start, and her sisters were not allowed to compete due to the fact that there was a rule that stated that the maximum number of people who could sing in one act was three.

"What are we going to do?!" Rain asked, pacing around the room. "Jade can't sing, and her turn is almost here. We gotta think of something."

Rochelle and Jade made eye contact, and then Jade smiled. She took Rochelle's hand and hoarsely said, "Rochelle... Go."

"Huh?" Rochelle asked.

"I... Can't sing. I need you... COUGH... to go on in my place..." Jade hoarsely asked.

 _"ME?!"_ Rochelle said.

"I can see it," Pinky said. "You were the one who helped our sister. Can you help us out again? I'm sure you can memorize the song in time."

Rochelle looked at the five girls in front of her. They were all looking to her for help. Rochelle looked down a bit. However, she sighed, looked up, and said, "I'll do it."

The girls cheered, happy that their new friend decided to step up for their sister.

Out in the audience, Alya and Marinette were standing next to each other. Lady Luck was definitely smiling on Marinette that night: Adrien was standing next to her. Marinette could not get the big, happy smile off of her face.

Chloe was still in the audience, some distance away from Marinette. She had a displeased look on her face, since she was not competing and her dad was not judging anymore.

The emcee was on the stage, and he was ready to introduce the next act.

"Due to circumstances, our next act, Jade Cosgrove, cannot perform," The emcee said, getting disappointed groans from the audience. "So singing on Jade's behalf, we have Rochelle DeL'eau!"

Alya, Marinette, and Chloe were all shocked that Rochelle was singing.

"I thought she wasn't competing!" Chloe declared.

Rochelle walked on stage. She took a deep breath to calm herself. She took up the microphone and started to let the music play. Rochelle decided to let her imagination go wild, since imagining herself as a mermaid made her feel more confident.

 _"With a sound, the colors were changing. And if you gazed deeply at the blue sky, you could bring your distant memories back to you."_ Rochelle sang.

Rochelle imagined herself in the ocean as Siren, swimming around and then surfacing. She looked at the sky, remembering a past she cherished greatly.

 _"You know, beyond the seven seas, I just have this feeling someone is crying with their heart squealing in pain. Please save me..."_ Rochelle sang, putting a hand to her chest.

 _"Something, anything to notify me of my fate. I embrace the guidance of the stars in my chest."_ Rochelle sang, before getting into the next part of the song. She was going for it.

 _"It shines forever with blue, like my beloved sea. To protect the future, now I gather power for the people and places I should be loving!"_ Rochelle sang.

Her fantasy began again, and the blue tones of the ocean and the sky were glowing even more brightly, causing her mermaid body to sparkle with joy. She leaped out of the water and her fin turned into feet. The scene changed to her fighting an akuma alongside Ladybug and Cat Noir again.

Speaking of whom, Adrien and Marinette were so caught up in the music, they began dancing with each other. They did not even notice who the other person was.

 _"Glittering azure, I want to protect these pure feelings the way they are now."_ Rochelle sang, with a big smile on her face.

Her voice was beautiful and it captivated the audience. Even Chloe the judges were impressed with the first few lines. Their eyes were wide with surprise, but they kept listening intently.

 _"With both of my shoulders lined up, I watched the rainbow. If I could possibly pass on to you my feelings well, then now would be the time and place, with you by my side, I guess."_ Rochelle sang.

Her fantasy was that she was a mermaid, sitting on a rock and watching the rainbow with glowing eyes.

 _"You know, togther when falling in love and dreaming. You feel as if you begin to like yourself... right? And you slowly start becoming an adult."_ Rochelle sang, letting her fantasy run wild.

 _"To want to go home... I never say it to anyone, but that melody always flows within my heart."_ Rochelle sang.

 _"Every friend should be the best, because they're such precious people. No matter how difficult times may be at times, continue to protect them."_ Rochelle kept singing.

 _"Because you have people and places you love. It's a mysterious azure... the beautiful sea is more beautiful than Heaven."_ Rochelle sang.

Jagged Stone was so impressed that he jumped onstage and started a guitar solo. This made Rochelle smile and she kept going.

 _"It shines forever with blue, like my beloved sea. To protect the future, now I gather power so my hopes will be granted."_ Rochelle sang, while everyone kept dancing to her song.

 _"Every friend should be the best, because they're such precious people. No matter how difficult times may be at times, continue to protect them. What a beautiful sea!"_ Rochelle sang, wrapping up the song.

As the remaining music faded, she stood on stage, proud of her act of courage.

Jagged Stone took her arm and lifted it in the air. A cheer broke out in the crowd, the judges were cheering, and whistles were blown every now and again.

Adrien and Marinette stopped dancing and kept cheering for Rochelle. However, when they noticed each other out of the corner of their eyes, they let go of each other's hand and they both blushed. Adrien scratched the back of his head, while Marinette tried her absolute _hardest_ not to start babbling like a dope.

"I guess it's settled," The head judge said, as she and the others came up onto the stage to talk to Rochelle. "Because Jagged Stone went onstage with one of our acts, I guess it's safe to say that our winner is Rochelle DeL'eau!"

One of the other judges gave Rochelle the trophy and blue ribbon, and Rochelle smiled brightly. She was proud of her accomplishment and she was crying tears of joy.

After the contest was over, Rochelle went back to Jade's dressing room with the prize.

"Jade." Rochelle said. Jade and her sisters looked over to Rochelle and saw she had won.

"You did it, Rochelle!" Violet said, as she and the girls ran over to her.

"Thanks," Rochelle said, before going over to Jade. She handed the trophy and ribbon over to her. "Here you go."

Jade looked at the trophy and ribbon. Rather than take it though, Jade smiled gently, shook her head, and gently pushed them back to Rochelle.

"Keep it." Jade hoarsely said.

"Really? But I did this for you." Rochelle said.

"It's _your_ victory, Rochelle," Sunny said. "You _should_ keep it."

Rochelle blinked, surprised at this development. She smiled and said, "Okay, I'll keep it."

"We were talking," Violet said. "And we wanted to ask you... Do you want to join our band? You have the voice for it, and you were there to help us."

Rochelle was in shock at such an offer.

"Wow... Listen, I appreciate the thought," Rochelle said. "But I have ambitions of following in my father's footsteps to become a champion swimmer. That, and I have a lot of other obligations."

"We had a backup idea," Sunny said. "Since you were such a big help, how about free tickets and VIP passes to our shows for life?"

Rochelle's eyes lit up and said, "Oh, I'd LOVE that! I can share them with Alya and Marinette!"

"Okay, then!" Rain said, as she and Rochelle shook hands.

Rochelle smiled brightly. She had won a contest, made friends with superstars - life was good.

However, the scene changed back to Marissa's study. The journal that Rochelle stumbled upon was the focus of the scene. Light passed over the journal a little bit, and then the scene darkened...

* * *

 **And that's a wrap for this two-part chapter! Jade and her sisters belong to Liz The Sweet Writer. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I wanted to make this one chapter, but the Doc Manager wasn't cooperating with me.**

 **Coming up next, Rochelle looks back at the journal in her mother's study and soon learns that her acquisition of the Mermaid Miraculous was _NO_ coincidence.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Time to shift focus from Chloe-made akumas to why and how Rochelle wound up with the Mermaid Miraculous in the first place!**

 **In the last chapter, Rochelle found a journal in her mother's study that had the words "Mermaid Miraculous" written inside. Wondering what to make of this, Rochelle decides to take a closer look at that book - and realizes that it was no accident that her dreams have come true!**

 **For those of you who have paid attention thus far, I'm sure you'll remember Marissa saying something about the Mermaid Miraculous being meant for Rochelle the whole time. Time for those questions to be answered!**

 **Don't worry, we'll still have an akuma attack, but not one caused by Chloe this time for a change. This akuma villain is based on Lanhua from Mermaid Melody.  
**

 **Song included: Hana To Chou No Serenade from Mermaid Melody (Lanhua's Image Song)**

 **Ballet terminology will be in this chapter, so you might want to look that up when/if you have the chance.**

* * *

It was about noon on a Wednesday. It had been several days since the singing contest and the whole Lady Laryngitis disaster.

Marissa was in her study, writing in her journal. She put the pen down, pinched the bridge of her nose, and then sighed heavily. Marissa had been working on a court case and was taking a writing break to help her relax.

One particular thing about that journal was that it also documented some secrets that she kept. Marissa had things she wanted to tell Rochelle, but the timing never seemed right.

Marissa needed to stretch her legs. She stood up and made to leave the room, leaving the journal open. The journal shined again in the sun. Marissa looked at the journal and said aloud, "I should have given it to her in person..."

She left the room, and closed the door.

Back at school, Marinette and Rochelle had met up in a private part of the grounds so they could talk without having to worry about eavesdropping from others.

"That whole thing with Lady Laryngitis was too close for comfort," Rochelle said. "I nearly lost my voice."

"Imagine how Chloe felt..." Marinette said.

"I'm sure she wasn't happy about it," Rochelle said. "But we have to be extra careful when it comes to akumas courtesy of Chloe in the future. Not only is cleaning up after all the time a pain in the neck, it's aggravating to know that her karma hasn't hit her yet."

"There were times when my feelings for Adrien had caused me to act irrationally and then create an akuma. That's my version of karma for me." Marinette admitted

"Then you have to reign that in, Marinette." Rochelle said.

"The good news is that it's been quiet lately," Finni said. "Now maybe we can relax a bit."

"Don't jinx it, Finni," Tikki said. "You never know what could happen."

As the kwamis were talking, Rochelle then remembered the journal she found in her mom's study. She wanted to ask her mom, but between school, keeping akumas in check, and her mother's work, the timing never seemed right. Rochelle just started staring off into space, thinking about why a book belonging to her mother would contain documentation of the Mermaid Miraculous.

Marinette noticed that Rochelle grew quiet. Marinette waved a hand in front of Rochelle's face and said, "Rochelle?"

"Oh," Rochelle said, snapping out of her daze. "I was just thinking about something... When we were researching laws in my mom's study, we came across a journal that had something about my Miraculous written in it. I'm wondering what that journal says..."

"Why not ask?" Marinette asked. "It's better than reading it without permission."

"Yeah," Tikki said. "You don't know how many times Marinette has stolen someone's phone by mistake or otherwise."

Rochelle merely looked at Marinette with a face that said, 'Are you serious?'

Marinette smiled shyly and shrugged a bit.

"Anyway, I can ask mom about it when I get home," Rochelle said; she then looked at her phone for the time. "Oh man, break is almost over. We'd better get back to class."

The girls ran off to go to their classroom. Adrien saw them running together. Alya was not with them, much to Adrien's confusion.

"Is it just me, or are those two closer than Marinette and Alya usually are?" He asked Nino.

"Yeah, man," Nino said. "I've noticed Rochelle has practically replaced Alya as Marinette's BFF. I hope that really isn't the case."

Rochelle saw Adrien out of her peripheral vision, and imagined cat ears on his head, and a black mask on his face for a second. She shook her head and thought, _'Wait, Adrien and Cat Noir being one and the same? ... Well, who knows?'_

She decided not to bring it up to Marinette. Rochelle knew about Marinette's feelings towards Cat Noir, and speculating that Cat Noir and her crush Adrien were the same person out loud was probably not an idea Marinette would like to entertain.

The girls made it to the classroom with give minutes to spare. Alya was already there in her usual seat. She waved her friends over, and then Rochelle and Marinette began to flank their friend.

"Madame Bustier is going to be springing another assignment soon," Alya said. "I wonder what the topic is?"

"I hope it isn't too complicated." Marinette said.

"Same here," Rochelle said. "If it's too much, I don't know what I'll do."

"Oh come on, Rochelle," Alya said. "You're an academic whiz."

Just then, everyone else came into the classroom. Madame Bustier followed in.

"Alright, everyone," Madame Bustier said, getting everyone's attention. "This next assignment is going off on a tangent a little bit. Your task for this project is to create a small presentation about a member of your family. The person can be immediate, extended, blended such as a step-parent, or the family member can be deceased. Anything goes so long as it's a human member of your family. I understand that a lot of people consider their pets as members of their families, but..."

Rochelle was tuning out. It was not that she was not interested in what Madame Bustier had to say. Rather, she was distracted because she had already thought of the perfect person. - her late father. And she knew just the first resource to consult: her mother.

After class was dismissed for the time being, the trio went into the library to discuss their project.

"Alya, who are you going to do your project about?" Marinette asked.

"I'm doing mine my mom," Alya said. "She's the head chef at Le Grand Paris. And from what I've heard, it's hard for women to get that high of a kitchen position in France. What about you, Marinette?"

"My topic is my great-uncle Wang Cheng Sifu," Marinette said. "I may not be able to communicate with him in Chinese, but I can just ask my mom for more information about him."

"As for me, mine is going to be about my father," Rochelle said. "We were very close before he died."

Marinette and Alya gave Rochelle an approving nod. They were satisfied with Rochelle's answer, thus decided not to go any further with the conversation. Rochelle merely lifted her face and looked up a bit. She grew misty-eyed when thoughts of her father flooded in her mind. She remembered a lot of things from when she was younger and her father was still alive, but Rochelle also knew that she could ask her mother to tell her stories about her father.

* * *

Back at Rochelle's house, Marissa was looking at a photograph of her family. Herself, her husband, and Rochelle when she was about nine years old.

"Achille, if only you were here," Marissa said, talking to her husband's picture. "Rochelle and I have been coping fine, but I never thought you would depart for the swimming pool in the sky that soon... Too soon."

As she remembered times in New Orleans that had gone by, Marissa grew depressed. She missed Achille dearly. When they knew he was going to inevitably pass away, Marissa promised to do her best to take good care of Rochelle.

She also promised her husband that when the time was right, she would tell Rochelle a secret and give her the Mermaid Miraculous. The latter part of that promise had not gone as planned. Rochelle had gotten her hands on the Miraculous before Marissa could say anything.

"Achille... I'm sorry," Marissa said. "Rochelle found it before I could tell her the truth."

Wishing she could hear Achille's voice again, Marissa shed a few tears. However, she composed herself before going back to her study to continue working on her case assignment.

A few hours later, Rochelle had come home from school. She walked into the house and then she said, "Mom, I'm back."

Rochelle looked around, but then she noticed her phone was off. She turned it on and noticed she had a message from her mother. It read:

 _"Rochelle,_

 _I'll be out of the house during the afternoon when you get home because I have a meeting with a client._

 _I have no worries about you getting your schoolwork done, since you're always on top of that._

 _This also goes without saying, but when you-know-what happens, be careful."_

Rochelle sighed before going upstairs. She walked down the corridor, only for her to notice that the door to her mother's study was open a crack. Rochelle looked inside and saw that the same journal she had seen earlier was on the desk.

Something was nagging at her to look at it, but Rochelle also knew that it would invading her mother's privacy if she did. However, Finni came out of Rochelle's hair, and flew over to the journal.

"Hey! Finni! Don't just take it," Rochelle said, watching her kwami lift up the journal. "We can't just go through that without my mother's permission! That isn't right!"

"But this journal has information about you and your Miraculous! This isn't something we can just ignore!" Finni shouted, as she floated back over to Rochelle with the journal. "There could be information about why the Mermaid Miraculous has been dormant for so many years!"

"My homework and that project is the priority right now. We can look at that later." Rochelle said.

"There could be information about your father in here, too," Finni said. "Don't just brush this off!"

Rochelle thought about it. Finni had a point, but Rochelle also knew that it was a bad idea to read the journal without permission.

"You know you want to!" Finni said, teasingly waving the journal in Rochelle's face.

Rochelle sighed, defeated, took the book from Finni, and then said, "Okay, but _only_ one or two pages, _then_ we get onto the project!"

Finni nodded in delight. Rochelle had the feeling that there was a pit in her stomach. She knew that her mother would probably not take this news well.

Rochelle and Finni went back to Rochelle's room, but Rochelle still was not sure about reading one of her mother's journals. There was no telling what was written in there.

Rochelle opened the book and started from the very first page.

 _"Month XX Year 19XX_

 _It was the greatest day of my life. The day I married Achille DeL'eau.  
_

 _A lawyer and a champion swimmer: w_ _ho would have thought I'd fall in love with this man? Certainly not me."_

"Wait... This journal starts all the way back to my parents' wedding?! Wow." Rochelle said.

"Keep going." Finni said.

"Okay..." Rochelle said.

 _"But my wedding day to Achille was the happiest day of my life._

 _I can't imagine myself being the wife of anyone else._

 _I'm excited to start the next chapter of life with Achille."_

Rochelle turned the next few pages and saw another entry that had information that stood out to her.

 _"Month XX Year 19XX_

 _I discovered I'm pregnant about a month or two ago._

 _I just got back from the doctor to figure out the gender of our baby - it's going to be a girl!_

 _Achille was really hoping for a daughter when we discussed having children._ _When I told Achille the news, he seemed a lot more excited than I was expecting._

 _Once he calmed down, I asked him outright why he was so desperate for a daughter. Don't get me wrong, I wanted a daughter as well, but I was wondering why he was hoping for a baby girl even more intensely that I was._ _"_

"So it sounded like your daddy was happy to know his baby was going to be a little girl." Finni said.

"Yes, but there's something weird about all of this..." Rochelle said.

 _Achille took out a strange, octagonal box that seemed to generate mysterious vibes. I could not put my finger on it, but there was something inside that box that could turn everything we've ever known about our world and life upside down."_

"That box... That must have been the box that had my choker in it!" Rochelle said. "We'd better keep reading."

She flipped to the entry that documented the day she was born.

 _"Month XX Year 19XX,_

 _We brought our newborn baby Rochelle home and now she's here in my arms. Just looking at her makes me smile. The fact that I'm a mom now just makes me really happy._

 _But there has been something that has been on my mind. When we brought our baby home, Achille noticed that the strange, octagonal box began glowing whenever Rochelle was close to it, causing her to giggle and smile. I didn't understand this, but Achille went rigid._

 _Achille told me that this box contained something called a 'Miraculous' inside._

 _He opened it up and showed me this beautiful beaded seashell choker. It had many shades of blue waving through the design, and the seashell was sparkling._

 _I reached for it, but Achille pulled it away from my reach._

 _Achille explained to me that this choker could not be worn by just anyone. He told me that this choker had the power to turn someone into a superhero - in this case, a mermaid. Being a logical woman, I at first did not believe this._

 _Then he showed me some documents regarding this choker, but it all spelled out one thing to me: the choker was, in fact, magic. He told me there were other Miraculous items all over the world, but he did not go further into detail and stayed on the topic at hand. _

_Achille further explained that a creature came along with the Miraculous. Something called a 'kwami', which is a creature meant to go inside the stone on the choker after an incantation was made. The kwami was also meant to be a guide to the person wearing the Miraculous._

 _Achille told me that this choker had been in his family for centuries. The choker is intended to be worn by a girl who was deemed "worthy" of it. At first I did not know what that meant._

 _When I asked Achille what he was talking about, he went into further detail: after the Anglo-French war of 1213, the Mermaid Miraculous had fallen into the hands of his distant ancestor. All of his descendants were either born males, or any and all daughters born were not worthy of the Mermaid Miraculous, which is why it has laid dormant all of this time._

 _"Achille told me that since he had no sisters or nieces, no one in his generation could hold the Miraculous. He had a document accompanying the Miraculous that had a cryptic message:_

 _'When a girl is born with a love of the sea, this Mermaid Miraculous will belong to she. With the dream to help, and a strong sense of ethics, this girl will be worthy, proving wrong any skeptics.'_

 _At first I was skeptical. I decided to just let it roll off my back like water on a duck. Little did I know that this would be a topic that would come up again and again. I know Achille isn't insane, but there was just something about this story that was completely outlandish."_

"So the Miraculous responded to you since you were a baby." Finni said.

"Why didn't she tell me?" Rochelle asked, feeling her eyes water. However, she cleared her mind and hoped that she could focus on her project.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Hotel Dieu Hospital, there was an examination room that had a patient. She was lying in bed with her leg elevated and wearing an examination gown. She had a check-in bracelet on her left wrist, and was wearing a ballet pointe shoe barrett in her black hair that had light brown highlights. Her eyes were hazel, too.

A doctor was writing something down on a chart, looking at the woman with a solemn facial expression.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news, Ms. Adeline Danseuse. I'm afraid there is potential that you will need surgery for your leg." The doctor said.

"SURGERY?!" Adeline asked. She was in complete shock. "What... If I don't _want_ the surgery?"

"Again, it's only speculation. If anything, we don't want it to come to that if we can avoid it. But if it has to happen, and you don't want the surgery...Then it could very well be possible that you may never be able to dance again." The doctor said, a sad look on his face.

"No... No!" She shouted, before beginning to bawl. She was crying loudly, scared.

The doctor just looked at her sadly. He knew better than to say something to a patient at a time like that. Nothing he could say would make her feel better. Instead of being there to comfort her, he merely stood up and left the exam room.

At Hawkmoth's lair, he could sense her agony and her pain.

"Oh, this poor girl... Feeling the pain of having her dream potentially taken away from her. Perfect for my akuma!" He said, as he then opened his hand.

One of his butterflies flew onto his hand, and then covered it with his other hand. He infused the butterfly with dark energy, and then released the akuma.

"Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize her!" Hawkmoth shouted.

The akuma flew into the hospital and then landed on the barrett. A butterfly outline surrounded Adeline's eyes and then Hawkmoth made a telepathic connection with her.

 _"Dance Maniac, I am Hawkmoth. I will let you let your emotions loose, and help you force everyone to feel the pain of not being able to move the way they want. All I ask are Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous."_ Hawkmoth telepathically said.

"Yes, Hawkmoth!" Adeline said, as a purple cloud engulfed her.

When she emerged from her bed, she was fully healed and then she took on the appearance of an evil ballerina. Her mask was the same shape as a butterfly, and her barrette turned into a butterfly shape. Her hair was in an up-do bun, her skin was pale, her eyes were now purple, and was wearing a professional dark purple tutu with matching ballet pointe shoes. However, she had giant swallowtail butterfly wings on her back.

Laughing maniacally, she flew out the window with her wings and then started to dance in mid-air, as if she were on a stage. She laughed manically, getting the attention of everyone around her.

As she posed in a croise devant, she then gave an evil smile and started to sing.

 _"Having bloomed in a moonlit-filled night, the fragrance of the flower is sweet. The taste of nectar glittering in the violet dawn."_ Dance Maniac began to sing, as she did an ecarté, and then an arabesque to show off her ballet skills.

Doing a grand fouetté en tournant, she sang, "If you were to give everything in this world to me, the nightly banquet is a fun, dream-filled one."

 _"Dance my dance! Tonight... the flowers become intoxicated by the swallowtail butterfly's dance."_ Dance Maniac sang, doing a balancé.

The result of her singing and dancing was that everyone nearby was dancing uncontrollably without any direction, particular style, or authority over their actions.

Somewhere nearby, Marinette was carrying grocery bags on the way back to her place. After she had finished her assignment on her great-uncle Cheng Sifu, her parents had asked her to do a quick grocery run. They were running low on ingredients.

However, she noticed the commotion and saw that everyone was uncontrollably dancing. She looked up and saw Dance Maniac still ballet dancing and singing while everyone was unable to stop their movements.

"Another akuma! I gotta stop this!" Marinette said.

"Not now, Marinette!" Tikki said. "You can't just literally drop everything and transform."

Marinette noticed that Tikki was right; she could not just abandon her parents' request. Marinette shuffled around for her phone and managed to send Rochelle a text message. Marinette then put her phone away and ran off to the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

* * *

Back with Rochelle, she was still reading the journal. She had gotten to an entry when she was a little older.

 _"Month XX Year 20XX_

 _Rochelle is getting older now. She's growing into a beautiful girl. But I noticed that she has a lot of traits that were described in the document._

 _She has a very strong, ethical mind. I guess she inherited that from me. She always does the right thing, even if it means breaking the rules. Rochelle also_ _reaches out a helping hand to others in need, be it helping them with their homework, spending time with others if they needed a shoulder to cry on, standing up to bullies, etc._

 _Whenever there's free time, Rochelle always says, "Daddy, daddy, take me to the beach!" Achille always brings her to go swimming whenever they have a chance. She loves the water. Whenever she swims, she just seems so at home and happy. She also loves singing songs from "The Little Mermaid" - it's her favorite movie. She's always had a connection to the water, just like Achille._

 _But there's one thing in the back of my mind that I know: our daughter is destined to inherit the Mermaid Miraculous. It's just a question of when._ _"_

Rochelle was about to keep reading, but her cell phone started going off. She noticed it was a message from Marinette.

Rochelle picked it up and looked at the message. It said, "Akuma attack! Transform! I still have to bring baking ingredients back to my family, so I can't jump in right now!"

Rochelle immediately put the journal down, had Finni hide in her hair, and ran out the door. She immediately took out her phone and looked up Alya's live blog feed. If she knew one thing, it was that whenever an akuma was attacking, Alya was not far behind.

"Okay, it's near Hotel Dieu Hospital! Let's go!" Rochelle said, as she and Finni kept running to the scene.

Meanwhile, Adrien was again in his room. He had nothing else on his schedule, so he was streaming the Ladyblog again.

"Hey all! Alya here!" Alya said, as her live feed came up. The camera was shaky and the feed was showing random movements. "Pardon my random movements, but we have another akuma! We have some ballerina named "Dance Maniac" and her singing is causing everyone to dance against their will! I know Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Siren will come and - WHOA! - stop her and - WHOA-WHOA-AAH! _HELP!_ "

Seeing this, Adrien immediately shut his computer off and turned to Plagg. Plagg was sitting in a basket filled with camembert and eating away.

"Plagg, stop eating and let's go!" Adrien shouted, grabbing his Kwami and running to the window.

"Plagg, Claws Out!" Adrien shouted, activating his Miraculous.

Plagg entered the ring, and then Adrien formed his mask on his face, turning his green eyes into a more cat-like version of them. He formed hair clips that looked like cat ears on his head, and then his body suit and tail appeared, including cat-like gloves and silver boots, and a belt-like tail. He posed.

He pole vaulted out the window and started to run to the scene.

He leaped and ran across rooftops, following the sight of the ballerina.

Rochelle was still running to the scene, following the live feed on the Ladyblog. She soon came upon Dance Maniac and all of the chaos she was causing. She was still dancing and singing.

 _"Let's gently play the last phase of the moon as it's made into a harp. And the thousand bell chimes and tune of the flute become honed."_ Dance Maniac sang, doing a fondue with a épaulement, before going into a pas de valse.

 _"My cute servants who serve me, let me award you a shimmering embroidery of an angel's raiment."_ Dance Maniac sang, while going back into a balancé.  
 _"If you dance like this, and you dance like that, the tips of your toes will overflow with flower petals."_

However, just when Rochelle was about to go and hide to transform, she started to dance against her will.

"W-Whoa! H-Hey, what's going on?!" Rochelle shouted, before running off.

However, she stumbled and had a hard time moving normally because the music was forcing her to dance against her will. She managed to duck between a few buildings and get away from it.

She was breathing heavily and trying her best to relax.

"Come on, Rochelle! You can do this." Finni said.

"Right..." Rochelle said, catching her breath; she then stood up, ready to fight off Dance Maniac. "Finni, Gills On!"

She rubbed the shell on her choker, and activated it. Finni entered the choker's stone.

Rochelle's body was given a bleu de France body suit that had scales sparkling in periwinkle with hints of sea foam green in the light. Her face was given a mask in a matching scheme; her chest was given a periwinkle-sea foam green seashell bra and her hair was put up in a French braid, fastened with a matching scallop shell. Her feet were given flats. Her ankles were given loose ruffled fabric that were also blue de France with the periwinkle sparkle affect; same with her wrists, waist and hips. On her waist was a scallop-shell in the same color scheme, with a string.

She posed, ready to go off and fight.

She ran out from her hiding spot, and looked at her surroundings. Everyone was still unable to stop dancing with Dance Maniac's singing.

 _"Forget everything and dance the graceful serenade!"_ Dance Maniac sang, while once again doing another grand fouetté en tournament.

Siren herself started dancing uncontrollably, unable to stop. It was not her choice, but something about the situation just made her want to dance. The moves were uncoordinated and random.

"Hey, Prima Donna, don't you know ballet is a _silent_ dance? No singing allowed!" Cat Noir shouted, then leaped at Dance Maniac, interrupting her song.

He leaped at her, ready to beat her off with his staff. She did a grand jeté en avant to escape. Cat Noir landed on the ground, and then managed to get back up.

"Cat Noir! Perfect timing!" Siren said, running over to the cat.

"Siren! Good thing you're here," Cat Noir said. "Where's my lady?"

Siren flinched a little bit before saying, "I don't really know. It's not like this isn't the first time the two of you haven't gotten to an akuma attack at the same time."

"It's true," Cat Noir said. "But right now, we've got a prima donna to deal with!"

"Right!" Siren said, as she was ready to fight. She was relieved that she managed to cover up Ladybug's absence from the scene temporarily.

Meanwhile, Marinette had gotten back to her place and gave her parents the ingredients. And everything had gotten back in one piece. She then made a beeline for her bedroom and then she let Tikki out of her bag.

"Tikki, Spots On!" Marinette shouted, activating her Miraculous. Tikki entered the earrings.

Marinette formed a red mask with black spots on her face, and then a matching body suit with a black neck, and a yo-yo in the same design on her waist appeared. She posed, ready to go as Ladybug.

She immediately came up through the hatch in her room that led to the rooftop and balcony at her house. She took out her yo-yo and started to swing to the scene.

Meanwhile, Cat Noir and Siren were still fighting off Dance Maniac. They managed to keep her from singing by distracting her by attacking her from all sides. Cat Noir kept clawing at her, like an angry cat. Meanwhile, Siren tried to see what she could do. She saw a wall nearby, and then ran up the sides of the roof.

She leaped off the roof, moved her hand out, and then summoned water. However, just as she was about to shoot the water, she then remembered something from her mother's journal.

She thought about the passage that said, "She's always had a connection to the water, just like Achille."

Siren grew distracted, but then she shook it off and aimed at Dance Maniac. Siren then she shouted, "Water in the hole!"

As Cat Noir was facing off with Dance Maniac, he saw Siren out of his peripheral vision. He immediately jumped backwards, and then Siren blasted her water at Dance Maniac. Combined with her distraction leading to her misaiming, Dance Maniac did a back attitude leap before standing in fourth position.

"Sorry I missed; I got distracted," Siren said, landing next to Cat Noir. "If only Ladybug were here...!"

A yo-yo came out of nowhere and wrapped around another building pole. Ladybug swung in and landed on the ground between Cat Noir and Siren.

"Sorry I'm late," Ladybug said. "Now let's give that ballerina the ax!"

Dance Maniac then did a pirouette and then a plié. Dance Maniac smirked and then went back to singing.

 _"Shall I stop the root of your breath...? Or leave you to stay eternally in that beautiful pose?"_ Dance Maniac sang, as she then did an attitude turn before going into an arabesque.

As soon as she started singing, everyone started dancing uncontrollably. The song also forced Ladybug and Cat Noir to join hands, and then go into first position for a tango.

"Wh-What?! Hey!" Ladybug shouted, as she tried to push herself out of Cat Noir's embrace, but no luck.

 _"My cute servants who serve me, let me award you a shimmering embroidery of an angel's raiment."_ Dance Maniac sang, as she started to do a series of piqué turns.

 _"Gold and silver feathers dance to the transience of a single night's dream."_ Dance Maniac sang. She did an attitude before going into an arabesque.

 _"Dance my dance! Tonight... the flowers become intoxicated by the swallowtail butterfly's dance."_ Dance Maniac said, once again doing a grand fouetté en tournament.

Ladybug and Cat started continued tango against their will, while Siren was just dancing and moving randomly.

"H-Hey! I can't stop!" Ladybug complained. "What about you?! Can't you stop tangoing?!"

"NO! I always wanted to be close to you, my lady, but not against your will and not like _this!_ " Cat Noir complained, as he dipped Ladybug down.

"It's Dance Maniac's singing! When she sings, it causes everyone to dance uncontrollably!" Siren shouted, as she did a split. She then stood up and once again started randomly dancing.

 _"Having bloomed in a moonlit-filled night, the fragrance of the flower is sweet. The taste of nectar glittering in the violet dawn."_ Dance Maniac sang, as she started doing an adagio bourrée en couru.

Everyone kept dancing randomly and uncontrollably. Even Ladybug and Cat Noir could not stop their tango.

 _"If you dance like this, and you dance like that, the tips of your toes will overflow with flower petals."_ Dance Maniac sang, while beginning another arabesque. _"Forget everything and dance the graceful serenade!"_

 _"Gold and silver feathers dance to the transcience of a single night's dream."_ Dance Maniac sang while doing a fouetté relevé.

 _"Dance my dance! Tonight... the flowers become intoxicated by the swallowtail butterfly's dance."_ Dance Maniac sang, doing the grand fouetté en tournament for the last time. She then stopped dancing and stood in fifth position.

Once she stopped, everyone was down and they were all exhausted. They were breathing heavily. Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Siren were trying to catch their breath, but no luck.

 _"Excellent! Now take their Miraculous!"_ Hawkmoth shouted, telepathically.

"Understood!" Dance Maniac shouted. She then landed on the ground and started to walk her way over to the tuckered-out trio.

Meanwhile, Siren kept thinking about her mother's journal. She thought, _'So... I was fated to inherit my Miraculous?! Marinette told me that she and Cat Noir were given their Miraculouses, claiming they were "chosen."' _

She was so focused on her thoughts. She was so confused as to why she had not been told about any of this information prior.

"Now, give me your Miraculous! Or do you want to go for another round of dance?" Dance Maniac asked.

"No... Way..." Ladybug said, breathing heavily.

"Not a chance!" Cat Noir said; he managed to catch his breath.

"I see." Dance Maniac said, before she opened her mouth to sing again.

However, Siren managed to regain focus on the task at hand. She stood up and faced Dance Maniac.

"You'll take their Miraculouses over my dead body!" Siren shouted.

Ladybug managed to look up and was looking around to see Siren standing off against Dance Maniac. Ladybug saw the barette in Dance Maniac's hair and then realized that was where the akuma was.

"Siren, try to distract her!" Ladybug said, fatigued.

"Right!" Siren said, as she summoned water and then started shooting it at Dance Maniac.

Dance Maniac did many jumps, turns, and leaps to dodge all of Siren's water blasts. She kept dancing to dodge Siren.

 _'Come on, come on!'_ Siren thought, as she noticed that Dance Maniac started flying up in the air. She was about to sing again.

"Dance Maniac's gonna sing again!" Siren shouted, as she stood firm.

Ladybug and Cat Noir looked up to see Dance Maniac opening her mouth.

"We've gotta clip that ballerina's wings!" Siren shouted, as she backed up a bit.

"That's it! Cat Noir!" Ladybug said, directing her gaze to her cat companion.

"Right!" Cat Noir shouted.

He looked at the wall and then he did what he and Ladybug once did when fighting Stormy Weather: he stood up, ran towards the side of the building, and ran up it. Cat Noir then jumped off the wall and then he spun his baton to give him some propulsion.

He then shouted, "Cataclysm!"

He activated his Miraculous's power and then black magic started radiating from his hand.

 _"Having..."_ Dance Maniac began, but then Cat Noir grabbed her wings from behind. This caused the wings to turn black and disintegrate.

Dance Maniac then began falling to the ground while Cat Noir used his baton to safely land on his feet. Dance Maniac landed on the ground on her stomach.

"Ladybug, ready?" Siren asked.

"Right!" Ladybug shouted, as she stood up and took out her yo-yo. "Lucky Charm!"

In her hand landed...

"An apple? What am I supposed to do with this?" Ladybug asked.

However, she saw that while Dance Maniac could not dance, there was nothing that could stop her from singing. Ladybug gestured for Siren to follow her.

"Siren, tickle attack!" Ladybug shouted.

Siren soon caught on to Ladybug's plan, and then they ran over. Siren got behind Dance Maniac and then tickled her. She started to laugh, and since she was laughing so hard and Dance Maniac's mouth open. Ladybug shoved the apple into Dance Maniac's mouth and then has Siren hold Dance Maniac's hands behind her back.

Dance Maniac was bound and gagged via an apple and Siren's hold.

Ladybug snatched the barrette out of Dance Maniac's hair and then broke it. The akuma then flew out of the broken barrette pieces.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma! Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug said, as she used her yo-yo to capture the akuma, and then she purified it. She then released it from her yo-yo. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

A wave of red light then washed over the city, resetting everything. Dance Maniac then changed back into Adeline and she looked around, confused.

"Pound it!" The trio said, before doing a three-way fist bump.

Cat Noir's ring beeped and then he said, "Sorry, M'Lady, but I have to make like a dancer and split!"

He then used his baton to escape and he was soon out of sight.

"Siren... You were a little distracted today," Ladybug asked. "What happened?"

"...I just had something on my mind," Siren said, before turning away. "I'd better go. See you later."

Siren soon took off for the river. She leaped into the water and started swimming away, leaving Ladybug alone for the time being.

* * *

After hiding and changing back, Rochelle made a beeline for her home, and then she ran through the door.

"Rochelle." Marissa said, addressing her daughter.

"Oh, mom..." Rochelle said. She saw her mother's facial expression - it was a combination of stern and compassionate at the same time. "Let me guess..."

"Yes," Marissa said, as she took out the journal. "I found it in your room."

Rochelle did not say anything. She knew the jig was up and was ready to face the consequences.

"Don't punish her!" Finni shouted, flying up to Marissa. "I was the one who told her to look!"

"Punishing her wasn't the intention," Marissa said. "...Truth is, I should have told you about this a lot sooner... I was going to give you the choker in person when we moved here, but I guess destiny had other plans."

"...So my Miraculous is my inheritance from dad," Rochelle said. "...But I wonder who the previous Mermaid Miraculous holder was?"

"Who knows?" Marissa said, shrugging. "But at the end of the day, you're holding it now, and that's what's important."

"Thanks, Mom," Rochelle said. "But since I have a project regarding family to do... Can you tell me stories about dad?"

Marissa smiled, and then the two sat down at the table. Rochelle took out a pencil and paper, and started listening intently to her mother.

The next day, Rochelle was giving her presentation. She had pictures of her father and everything.

"...If you're watching, dad... I hope you can see how well I've turned out now." Rochelle said, wrapping up her presentation.

Everyone in the room - minus Chloe - started applauding Rochelle's presentation. Rochelle looked out the window and saw the face of her father in the clouds, and gently touched her choker.

 _'Thank you, dad, for letting me become the girl I am_ _today.'_ Rochelle thought, thinking of her father fondly.

* * *

 **So now we know how Rochelle wound up with the Mermaid Miraculous! And we also know more about Rochelle's father, including his given name.**

 **Coming up, Adrien runs away from home again. Only this time, Ladybug knows better than to jump the gun on the situation. But when Siren figures out Adrien's secret and learns his situation from his viewpoint, she reaches out a helping hand.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Rochelle has figured out who Ladybug is, now it's time for her to figure out Cat Noir.**

 **Adrien once again leaves home. This time, however, Gabriel calls in Siren, Ladybug, and Cat Noir (but Cat Noir doesn't show up for obvious reasons) to try and find him. But when Siren figures out what's going on in Adrien's head and heart, she decides to reach out a helping hand.  
**

* * *

It was late at night on Friday, and the scene focused primarily on the Agreste estate. Everything was quiet, organized, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary... almost _too_ normal.

However, there _was_ one thing wrong. Up in Adrien's bedroom, it was totally dark and empty, and the window was open. The closet that had all of his clothes was empty, his phone and charger were not in the room, and the small fridge he had in his room was empty and it was unplugged.

It all pointed to one thing: Adrien was _gone_. The only thing in the room that belonged to him was his diary. It was sitting on the desk and it was closed.

On top of the diary was a note that said, "Don't look for me. I'm gone and I'm free, and I'm not coming back."

Outside, Cat Noir was standing on the rooftop across the street. He had a backpack on his back. He looked back at his house one last time before turning away and leaping across the rooftops.

The next morning, everything else around Paris was normal. No akumas as of yet.

Marinette had gotten up, and was eating breakfast with her family; she had given Tikki some cookies and made sure she was hiding in the bedroom.

"These are great pancakes, dad!" Marinette said, smiling and munching on some blueberry pancakes.

"I'm glad you're enjoying them," Tom said, as he and Sabine were eating. "So what are your plans today?"

"Rochelle's coming over to help me with some more of my designs," Marinette said. "I'm modeling a dress after Siren, and since Rochelle... is such a big fan, I thought that she would make a good model."

"That's great!" Sabine said. "I'm sure it will look fabulous."

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. She nearly gave away that Rochelle is Siren.

Meanwhile, Rochelle was at her house, also eating breakfast.

"So what's on schedule for you today?" Marissa asked.

"I'm going over to Marinette's house," Rochelle said. "She's modeling a dress after Siren, and I'm the model."

Marissa smiled, and then told her daughter, "I'm sure Achille would be proud at how well you've adjusted to Paris."

Rochelle smiled, remembering the days that she had her father around.

At about ten o'clock, Rochelle had made her way over to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. She knocked on the door, and then Tom answered the door.

He smiled at Marinette's friend, and then he said, "Ah, Rochelle. Come in!"

"Thank you, Mr. Dupain." Rochelle said.

"Please, call me Tom," Tom said, as he gently led Rochelle inside. "I hope you enjoy your time here. Sabine and I will be up with cookies later."

"That sounds great!" Rochelle said, as she immediately went upstairs into Marinette's room. "Hey, Marinette!"

"Rochelle, perfect timing!" Marinette said. "Tikki and I finished getting ready. Come on!"

"You got it!" Rochelle said, as she started to get ready to model for Marinette.

* * *

Back at the Agreste Mansion, Natalie Sancoeur, Gabriel's secretary, was walking to Adrien's bedroom. According to Adrien's schedule, he was about an hour late to breakfast. The schedule also had piano lessons, fencing, and a photo shoot coming up that day.

"Mr. Agreste is going to kill me if I don't get Adrien on track." Natalie muttered. She came to the bedroom, and then knocked on the door. "Adrien, you're late to breakfast."

There was no response, much to Natalie's concern. She knocked again, and more firmly, "Adrien, you're late to breakfast."

Once again, there was no response from Adrien. Natalie then said, "Fine, then. I'm coming in!"

Opening the door, Natalie saw that Adrien was not in his room. And most of his everyday essentials are gone. Natalie ran all around the bedroom, trying to look for Adrien, but no luck.

As soon as she saw that the window to Adrien's bedroom was open, she immediately knew what happened.

Immediately after, she barged into Gabriel's office, completely frantic.

Hearing the loud noise, Gabriel immediately dropped his work and then he firmly asked, "Natalie! What is going on?"

"It's Adrien! He's... He's...!" Natalie began, hyperventilating.

"Natalie, get ahold of yourself!" Gabriel firmly said.

"Adrien's missing! I noticed he was late to breakfast, but when I went to go get him I saw that... That... He's not in his room! He left this note!" Natalie panicked.

She gave Gabriel the note. Gabriel read it over, skimmed it over a few times, and then his face grew tense with anger.

"WHAT?!" Gabriel hollered. "Adrien's _**GONE?!**_ "

Speaking of the blonde model, he was walking around the streets of paris. He only had his backpack that has his essentials, a large stash of camembert for Plagg, and was wearing glasses and a hat.

"Adrien, are you sure this is a good idea?" Plagg asked, as he flew up to look at his chosen in the eyes.

"Of course it is," Adrien said. "I can't stand the restrictions anymore. The photoshoots, the piano lessons, Chinese lessons, fencing, etc... No time to live like a normal teenager! The only time I can ever have fun or be myself is when I'm Cat Noir! Father won't loosen up, I've done everything for him and yet I get no freedom to be a normal boy."

"But remember what happened at Christmas? What if Ladybug accuses someone of giving you grief again?" Plagg inquired.

"I'm sure she's learned her lesson," Adrien said. "And I'm sure Siren will be able to keep her reigned in, too."

"But if you don't go back..." Plagg said.

"It's not like father is going to care," Adrien said. "Let's just go."

Adrien and Plagg kept on walking through the streets, not caring about the consequences of his actions. All he wanted was some freedom as _both_ Adrien _and_ Cat Noir.

"Cop car!" Plagg said.

Adrien immediately hid as the police car drove by. The sirens were not on and the car did not seem to be in a rush. Adrien came out from hiding and sighed in relief.

Adrien kept walking, not sure where he would go or what he would do, but he knew one thing: as long as he could continue being Cat Noir, all would be right with his world.

* * *

Back at Marinette's house, Marinette was working on the ruffles for the dress's skirt hem - the fabrics were the same color as Siren's clothes, so Marinette knew that this would be the right color scheme.

Rochelle was working on some seashell accessories to go with the choker and the clothes. The girls were having a wonderful time and were relaxing. No akumas meant no worries for the moment.

"How are these?" Rochelle asked, as she showed Marinette the scallop shells.

"They're great! Now just put some shimmer dust on them and we'll be good." Marinette said.

Finni and Tikki were helping the girls out by gathering small supplies and keeping track of the needles and other small wares. The girls were having a wonderful time, when...

Marinette's phone started vibrating, and then Marinette saw it was a video call from Alya. Marinette put her tools down, motioned for the kwamis to hide, and then she picked up the phone.

"Hi, Alya," Marinette said. "What's going on?"

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Alya shouted through the phone. Marinette fumbled with her phone and then she caught it before turning the phone's screen back to her face. "Adrien's _missing!_ _That's_ what's going on!"

 **"WHAT?!"** The girls shouted, in surprise.

"Why?! Or rather, how did you know about that?!" Rochelle asked, turning the phone screen to face her.

"Nino texted me," Alya said. "He got a cryptic message from Adrien, but the latter summarized it as this: I'm gone."

"So basically, he's disappeared?" Marinette asked, getting frantic.

She was worried about her crush. She wanted to hurry up and go look for him. Rochelle gave Marinette a look that said, "Don't even think about it."

"That's right! Mr. Agreste is SO WORRIED, he put out a call to Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Siren to come in and look for him! I gotta get the deets! I'll update you on the blog!" Alya said, before hanging up.

"No! What if Adrien's lost or hurt?! What if he was kidnapped?! What if he's lying dead somewhere?! We have to find him! We have to _save_ him!" Marinette said, frantically rambling. "Tikki, Spots...!"

"Marinette!" Rochelle said, grabbing Marinette by the shoulders and then forcing her to look her in the eye. " _Calm. Down._ You're getting too worked up about this!"

"But... But...!" Marinette said, as she was about to ramble and babble like a nutcase again.

"Remember what happened at Christmas," Tikki firmly said. "We can't have a repeat performance of that. Every time Adrien's involved in something like this, your judgement gets clouded."

Marinette stopped and calmed down. Tikki was right: when it came to Adrien, Marinette would not think clearly, as Ladybug or otherwise.

"But we _have_ to find him!" Marinette said.

"You're worried, I get it," Rochelle said, as she crossed her arms. "Okay, then. This technically is an emergency. Let's go to Adrien's place and see what's up. Hopefully we can rendezvous with Cat Noir."

The girls nodded at their kwamis.

 _"Tikki, Spots/Finni, Gills On!"_ The girls shouted.

They both activated their Miraculouses, and did a simultaneous transformation. On one side, Rochelle's clothes were replaced with her bleu de France body suit with sparkling periwinkle scales, and her periwinkle-sea foam green seashell bra. Her hair was put into a French braid. Meanwhile, Marinette had formed her spotted mask on her face and her red and black-spotted body suit. The pair each did a pose and then they held them for a few seconds.

Ladybug opened the hatch that led to the balcony outside, and then both she and Siren went up and out. They ran to the balcony and saw Adrien's roof.

"Hang on!" Ladybug said, as she held Siren's hand, and then used her yo-yo to swing across Paris to go off to the Agreste mansion.

Within minutes, the girls were in the Agreste Mansion. Natalie had informed Gabriel of their arrival and he met them in the lobby of the entrance room.

"Ladybug, Siren," Gabriel addressed, but then noticed the trio was one person short. "Where might Cat Noir be?"

"I haven't seen him around," Siren said. "He should be here soon, though."

"Mr. Agreste," Ladybug said. "We heard you asked for our help?"

"Yes," Gabriel said, his poker face unchanging. "My son, Adrien, has gone missing. I want you two to help me find him."

"You haven't called the police about this to file a missing person report?" Siren asked, crossing her arms.

"As if the police would be any help. Do you have any idea how much of a scandal it would be if police cars just showed up at the door? I have a reputation to keep." Gabriel said.

Siren was disgusted at such a claim. She had half a mind to tell Gabriel off, but she knew that it was not the time or place.

"Then why are you asking _us_ to search for him instead of going out to look for him yourself?" Ladybug asked, trying to keep her cool.

"I've heard through the grapevine that he's quite the fan of yours, Ladybug," Gabriel said. "That obstinate son of mine will listen to you."

"You can't even refer to him by his name..." Siren muttered.

Gabriel thought he heard her and looked at Siren. But she merely kept her mouth shut.

"Anyway, I'll let you do whatever it takes to find Adrien," Gabriel said. "If you need to look for clues, I'm giving you permission to do what needs to be done."

"Translation: you're essentially giving us the green light to invade his privacy, which he has _the right to have_." Siren summarized.

Gabriel gave Siren a perplexed look. Siren merely stood her ground while shaking her head.

"Come on, Siren," Ladybug said. "We need to look for Adrien."

"Natalie, please lead these girls to Adrien's bedroom." Gabriel said, before leaving.

Natalie merely gave the girls a look on her face that told them to follow her. Natalie walked up the stairs, with Siren and Ladybug following suit. Siren subtly looked around the interior of the corridor. She saw that there were security cameras everywhere.

"This place has tight security." Siren said.

"The cameras are everywhere but the private areas of the building, like the bathrooms. However, they are not the only measure the building has," Natalie said. "In emergencies, the building goes into complete lockdown and it becomes a fortress, fortifying the walls and windows with steel."

"... _AIR-TIGHT_ security..." Siren muttered.

Natalie soon stopped in front of Adrien's bedroom, and then she told the girls, "This is the young master's bedroom."

"Thanks." Ladybug said, as she and Siren entered Adrien's room.

They closed the door behind them and then the girls started looking around the room.

"Sheesh, it's huge," Siren said. "I knew Adrien's dad was well off, but not like _this_."

Ladybug was stiff and nervous, but managed to keep looking around to try to find clues as to what happened to her crush.

Siren went over to the in-suite bathroom that Adrien's room had and opened the door. She sweat dropped at how luxurious the bathroom was, and it was perfectly clean.

"No sign of him in here." Siren said, closing the door. Siren then kept looking around to see if anything was out of the ordinary.

"I don't see any chargers for a phone or a laptop plugged in around here," Ladybug said, looking around at the electrical outlets. "And his PC is shut off."

"And his closet has a few empty hangers and spaces in here," Siren said, shutting the closet. "Anything else that stands out here?"

"There's no food in the mini fridge here and it's also unplugged," Ladybug said, before her nose twitched. "But... The air in here has this very faint smell of... Camembert?"

Siren sniffed the air and said, "Yeah, I smell it, too, but it's very subtle."

"But I've never seen Adrien eat camembert, so why would the smell of it linger in here?" Ladybug asked.

"I don't know. But I _do_ know that all of this points to one thing: Adrien wasn't _kidnapped_ ," Siren said. "Theoretically, he left on his own free will. The question is, what brought this on?"

Ladybug was getting frantic and was beginning to ramble on and on about any potential scenarios that could have happened to Adrien, but Siren noticed this and tried to calm her friend down.

" _RELAX_ , Ladybug," Siren firmly said, before redirecting Ladybug's attention to the task at hand. "We need to keep searching for clues. To start with, the window to the room is open, so that was probably his means of exit."

Ladybug started looking around for more clues. Under the bed, through the cabinets, etc., but nothing stuck out to her.

Siren, on the other hand, kept skimming the room, thinking that there might have been something that they have missed. However, as she was about to move on to another part of the room, she noticed something in the sunlight.

"Is that...?" Siren said, before going over to Adrien's desk and saw a book of some sort on top. It was highlighted by the 'spotlight' that the sun gave it.

She picked it up and saw that her instincts were correct: it was Adrien's diary.

 _'I know Mr. Agreste gave us carte blanche to do this, but it still makes me feel uncomfortable. But if it means that we can find Adrien, then maybe...'_ Siren thought, before opening up the book to the most recent entry.

 _"Dear Diary,_

 _Enough is enough._

 _My father doesn't care about me enough to make time for me, and he limits any free time I have. My life is scheduled down to the minute and it's so restricting that it could very well choke me to death._

 _And now's it's starting to get worse. Ever since mom disappeared, father has gotten distant, cold, and overprotective. He expects Natalie to take care of me instead of being there for me himself. He can't be bothered to deal with his own son! He doesn't even care about me enough to listen to me when I have something to say or something that I want. _

_For too long, it's all about doing what father expects, no questions asked._ _Can't he let me have what I want in my life? __From what I've seen, I guess my answer is 'no.'_

 _So, I'm leaving this prison tonight."_

Siren read most of the beginning of the entry, and then she basically got the gist of what was going on.

 _'So his life is so limited, he gets so little attention from his father, and he never gets to do what he wants, that he's miserable. '_ Siren thought, as she kept reading. _'No wonder he took off.'_

However, she then remembered something that Cat Noir had said one time.

~Flashback~

 _"Listen, I'm not going to lie: Chloe can drive me mad, too. And from what I've seen, she doesn't understand that she's the cause of a lot of these akumas. And Siren has a point: maybe an overdose of karma is what Chloe needs. It would make things a lot easier for us." Cat Noir said._

 _"But...?" Ladybug inquired. She knew that there was more to it._

 _"But I don't want to give up my Miraculous!" Cat Noir said. "I'm sure you two don't, either!"_

 _"I think you forget: the contract says only you and Ladybug have to forsake your Miraculouses willingly. The document says nothing about me." Siren elaborated._

 _"True, but... I just..." Cat Noir began, before deciding to tell the truth. "When I'm not Cat Noir, I'm just... trapped, not being allowed to do what I want. It's like I'm being held with a choker. Being a superhero lets me cut loose and be true to myself. The freedom it allows me is indescribable. Being Cat Noir really makes me happy. If I were to give all of that up... All I'll have to keep me happy is school."_

 _"Sounds like being Cat Noir is the only fun and happiness you've ever known," Ladybug said. "I had no idea."_

 _Cat Noir nodded._

~End of Flashback~

 _'Hang on a second... Cat Noir said something similar during the Lady Laryngitis mishap. This can't just be a coincidence, can it?'_ Siren thought, as she kept reading the entry.

 _"_ _I have everything I need to get by without my father. My phone, my laptop, the chargers for them, toiletries, and a decent supply of food to tide me over for a while._

 _Speaking of food, I had to stuff my backpack with camembert for Plagg. It's the only thing he'll eat. I snuck into the kitchen after the chefs had left for the day, and took all of the camembert. THAT should keep him happy until I can get my bearings._

 _But while I don't know where I'll go or what I'll do, there's one thing I'm certain of: I will always be Cat Noir, one of Paris's protectors."_

 _'I had an inkling that Adrien is Cat Noir,'_ Siren thought, before sweat dropping. _'This also explains the camembert smell in the room.'_

Siren then closed the book, and then turned to Ladybug.

"I found something," Siren said, coming over to her red-clad friend. "Adrien's diary."

"You didn't...!" Ladybug began, hoping that Siren did not read the diary.

"Yes, I did," Siren solemnly said. "And I know _exactly_ why Adrien took off in the first place. Come on, we need to find Mr. Agreste and talk to him."

Siren, Ladybug, Natalie, and Gabriel had met up in the lobby of the house again.

"What's the status?" Gabriel asked.

"I found some incriminating evidence," Siren said, holding up the diary. "The reason Adrien _left_ is because of _YOU_ , Mr. Agreste."

"How dare you!" Gabriel said, angrily.

" _Someone_ has to tell you the truth," Siren said. "Hence this entry."

Siren read the passage of Adrien's last entry - making sure to omit the parts about Cat Noir - and emphasized some parts of the passage to drive the point.

"... _"So, I'm leaving this prison tonight." _So, do you _still_ think you're not at fault for Adrien's melancholy?" Siren inquired of Gabriel.

Gabriel was quiet. Natalie was speechless, too.

"Do you even _care_ about Adrien's happiness?!" Siren asked again. "Any  decent parent would make time for his own son! And what kind of parent treats their child like an employee with such a packed schedule?! You're holding him on such a short, tight leash that it's suffocating him! No wonder he cut himself loose!"

"Siren, I think that's enough!" Ladybug said, trying to stop Siren.

"No, Ladybug," Siren said. "I'm putting my fins AND feet down!"

"It's not like _you_ know what's best for Adrien." Gabriel asked.

"Says the man who can't even be bothered to go look for his son himself instead of calling someone else in to do it for him," Siren said, scoffing. "Come on, Ladybug. We're done here."

Siren took the diary and then she turned to leave.

"Are you just going to leave like that?" Natalie asked. "What about looking for Adrien?"

"We'll find him. We're just not bringing him back _here_." Siren said, before walking out the door.

Ladybug followed after Siren, before shutting the door.

"People like that infuriate me!" Siren said. "I can't believe a top fashion designer is so apathetic when it comes to his son. I don't blame Adrien for booking it."

"But we _are_ going to find him, right?" Ladybug asked.

"Yes," Siren said. "Let's split up and hopefully find Cat Noir along the way. I'll look from the water."

"I'll search from the rooftops." Ladybug said. She took her yo-yo, latched it onto a pole, and then pulled on it. Ladybug flew up to the roof.

Meanwhile, Siren made for the river. She jumped into the water and started to swim around, looking for Adrien. Her head was above the water, and was wondering what she could do.

Siren knew that she needed help, but she was not willing to use her Sea Creature Call. She knew that if she did, she would only have five minutes to find Adrien before changing back.

 _'I have to find help. I can look from the river, but swimming up and downriver all day won't get me anywhere. I can only see so far from the river, so I could miss him at any time.'_ Siren thought.

However, she saw a small flock of grey herons wading in the river up ahead. Siren then got an idea.

"Excuse me!" Siren said, as she swam over to the herons.

"Excuse us, _little mermaid_ , but we're preening here," A large, adult male heron rudely said, as he was preening his feathers. "What could be _so important_ that you had to interrupt a bird's beauty session?"

Siren saw a bit of Chloe in this heron. She sighed a bit before saying, "It's an emergency - a missing boy."

All the herons squawked in surprise and then turned to Siren.

"A missing boy?!" The large female asked, her attention undivided. "That _IS_ an emergency!"

"In that case, we're all ears!" The male said. "We're here to help."

"Thank you," Siren said, as she used her shell phone to pull up a picture of Adrien. "This is him. He ran away from home, and my friend Ladybug and I are trying to find him. Ladybug is searching from the rooftops, but I can only see so far from the water. I'm going to keep looking, but I need an extra set of eyes... And _wings_ , if you get my meaning."

"Sure thing! We'll come find you once we spot him! Family, fly up and spread out!" The male heron said, as he and his flock flew up and started flying all around Paris.

Siren smiled, and then she kept swimming around the river. She used her phone to call Ladybug.

"Siren! Any luck?" Ladybug asked.

"No, but I got some water bird backup. I found a flock of grey herons and they're going to be our eyes in the sky to find Adrien." Siren reported.

"Good progress. I'm not finding anything either. Just posters of him all over Paris." Ladybug said, beginning to swoon.

" _FOCUS_ ," Siren said. "There's no time to get distracted!"

"Speaking of distracted, what could be keeping Cat Noir? We need him!" Ladybug said.

Now that Siren knew that Adrien and Cat Noir were the same person, she was unsure of what to say, so she just said, "I know what you mean. But I'm sure he's tied up with something right now."

"Maybe so... Or maybe he heard about Adrien and went to go looking for him, too!" Ladybug said.

Siren internally groaned. She thought, _'If she only knew...'_

"Anyway, I'll give you an update when something happens, okay?" Siren said.

"Right," Ladybug said. "Talk later."

The girls then hung up and went back to searching. Siren went back to swimming upriver, looking for clues.

In spite of the furious search, hours passed, and dusk was soon upon them. Siren was beginning to lose her patience, and was about to call Ladybug to pack it in and try again the next day.

However, she then had an epiphany: if she wanted to _find_ Adrien, she needed to _think_ like Adrien.

 _'Okay. If I were Adrien, and I was fed up with all of the modeling, I think the first thing to do is to one: get as far away from the Agreste mansion as possible. Meaning, a good place to look is the part of town opposite to the mansion.'_ Siren thought, before taking off downriver, going as far away from the mansion as possible.

She was also going at a speed that was fast enough to make distance, but not so fast that she could not get a clear view of the scenery. She did not want to miss any sign of Adrien.

Meanwhile, Adrien had seen that it had gotten darker and thus the coast was clear. So, he came out from hiding, and took off his hat and glasses. He sighed in relief.

"Adrien, what are you going to do now? You can't just keep running forever," Plagg asked. "And we'll run out of camembert eventually."

"Don't worry," Adrien said. "I'm going to Nino's house and planning on crashing there until I can figure something out."

"Well, that's a start," Plagg said, but then noticed something. "Hey, I didn't know it was heron migration season."

"Huh?" Adrien asked. He looked up and saw several grey herons circling in the sky. However, once he made eye contact with the birds, they all flew off, as if startled.

"Well, looks like they know a predatory cat when they see one." Plagg chuckled, jesting Adrien.

"I don't know about that..." Adrien said. He then noticed a flash of red in the distance. "Wait, was that Ladybug?"

"Hold it, Adrien!" Plagg said, stopping Adrien from activating his Miraculous. "No jumping to conclusions. You know how much that has gotten us into akuma trouble in the past!"

Nearby, the herons had landed in the river. They spotted Siren a few meters away.

"Miss Mermaid!" The male heron shouted.

Siren saw them, and then she swam over.

"What's the status report?" Siren asked.

"We saw him over there!" The female said, as she pointed her wing to the right.

"Thank you so much!" Siren said. "I'll call you on again if I need you."

"It's no problem," The lead heron said. "Good luck on bringing him home!"

"Thank you!" Siren said, as the herons flew off. She turned to her right, and sure enough, she saw Adrien in the distance.

She immediately sent Ladybug a quick message that said that she had located Adrien, and to meet her at the park closest to their coordinates.

Adrien had not spotted her yet, as he was still walking down the street, trying to get to Nino's place. Siren began swimming to the edge of the river to catch up to Adrien. She made it to the riverbank.

"Excuse me? Adrien? Adrien Agreste, right?" Siren asked, as she got Adrien's attention.

Adrien made eye contact, and said, "Yes?"

"Great, I found you!" Siren said. She then leaped out of the river, let her fin turn into legs, and then landed on the ground in front of Adrien.

"You were looking for me?" Adrien asked.

"Both Ladybug and I have been looking all over Paris for you, _Cat Noir_." Siren said, with a knowing smirk.

Adrien flinched and his eyes darted around. However, Siren giggled before saying, "Plagg, you can come out."

"Cat _fish's_ out of the bag, Adrien," Plagg said, as he flew out, eating a piece of camembert. "How did you sniff him out?"

Siren's face grew an uncomfortable expression, before pulling out Adrien's diary. His eyes bulged out a bit before snatching it away, and he said, "How did you...?!"

"Your dad called us in," Siren said, solemnly. "He gave me and Ladybug free reign of your room, so when I read the diary... Sorry..."

"Ugh..." Adrien groaned. "I don't believe this!"

"Your secret is safe with me." Siren said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Really?" Adrien asked.

"I promise. _Finni, Gills Off._ " Siren said. She released the transformation and then Finni flew out of the choker. Rochelle gave Finni a few saltines to eat.

"Rochelle... I had a feeling," Adrien said, with a smile. "You and Siren are a lot alike."

"Shall we go somewhere more secluded? I think you'll be more comfortable talking about why you took off." Rochelle said.

Adrien nodded sadly. The two of them walked to a nearby park to talk, and it had gotten dark out. Finni and Plagg were a little ways off, catching up, meanwhile Adrien was venting to Rochelle about his reasons for leaving.

"...So your dad had never been this controlling until your mother went AWOL?" Rochelle summarized.

"Pretty much," Adrien said, skipping a rock across the water in the fountain. "It's suffocating in that place."

"Yeah, and I understand why you wanted to get away from it," Rochelle said. "My mom may be a single mom, but she doesn't do that. There are plenty of single parents who are good parents."

"...I really envy Marinette." Adrien said, sighing.

Rochelle flinched a bit at hearing Ladybug's civilian name being mentioned, before saying, "Any particular reason why?"

"Well... Her parents love her, they care about her, and they all seem really close. It's a lot more than I can say for my family." Adrien said, before heaving a sigh.

Rochelle could tell that Adrien was not happy with his family situation. Remembering some of her old classmates from back in New Orleans, Rochelle had an idea growing in her mind. All she had to do was pitch it to Adrien.

"Adrien... Exactly how badly do you want a normal family?" Rochelle asked.

"Desperately! I don't care if it's not with my father..." Adrien said.

"...We'd better get you home." Rochelle said, standing up.

"No way! I'm not going back!" Adrien protested.

"I said "home," I _didn't_ say "the Agreste mansion," Adrien." Rochelle said, a smile growing on her face.

"What are you getting at?" Adrien asked, confused.

"Adrien... Have you ever considered putting yourself up for adoption?" Rochelle asked.

"Adoption?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah, I've learned that when it comes to family, the bond matters more than the bloodline. It doesn't matter if you're blood related or not." Rochelle said.

Adrien had no idea how to answer Rochelle. The prospect of getting adopted was completely out of nowhere for him. He had no idea that was even an option.

"It's something to consider, Adrien. I think it's a better alternative to just running loose, ducking cops and your father's surveillance, and only being able to come out of your shell under the mask and cat ears." Rochelle said.

"...How do I do it?" Adrien asked.

"I'll talk to my mom," Rochelle said. "If your dad is judged to be an unsuitable parent, then we can get you placed in a better home. You could be a normal boy - er, outside of being Cat Noir, of course. If you get adopted, you won't have to worry about gold-diggers and nutty fangirls because you won't have to model anymore and you won't be entitled to an inheritance from your dad."

A normal, loving family... No more modeling, no more insane fans, no more inappropriate attention from girls... Leading a normal life like he always dreamed... It would be a dream come true for Adrien.

"...I'll do it." Adrien said, balling his fists.

"I'm going to be honest, Adrien," Rochelle said. "Knowing your dad, he won't go through with it or let it happen, but I think the threat of adoption is probably going to be enough leverage to get him to loosen up. If not, then we'll _really_ go through with it."

"I don't care," Adrien said. "I've never been able to have any fun outside of being Cat Noir. The only real friend I've had up until going to public school was Chloé, and she's not a real friend by a long-shot. On the whole, I love my father, but I've had enough of his callous and heartless behavior."

"Then we're going to have the threat of adoption as a safety net," Rochelle said. "For the time being, let's see where you can stay for the night."

"I'm here!" Ladybug shouted, as she swung across the roof and then landed in the park. "Good, you're okay."

"Hey, Ladybug." Adrien said, blushing at seeing his crush in person.

"Thanks for keeping him company." Ladybug said to Rochelle.

"Your father's been worried." Ladybug said.

Adrien's expression darkened at he heard this.

"Okay, right now we need to get him to a place where he can stay until we get everything in order for him. If his father doesn't loosen up, then we'll go through with the process." Rochelle said.

"How about..." Ladybug said, about to suggest Marinette's home, but Rochelle gave her a knowing look that said, 'Don't even think about it.' "Nino's place, maybe?"

"Sounds great," Adrien said, smiling. "I'll be sure to give him a phone call and see if we can meet up at his place."

"Good idea. I'll head home, too." Rochelle said. She and Ladybug exchanged a wink and then the teens went their separate ways for the time being.

* * *

The next day, Rochelle had called Marinette to her house for a bit of a "meeting" about Adrien.

"So what's up?" Marinette asked, as she and Tikki entered Rochelle's house.

"Mom and I are working on a bit of a way to talk Gabriel down," Rochelle said. "We're only using the threat of putting Adrien up for adoption as a wild card."

"Are you sure this will work, Rochelle? This is _Gabriel Agreste_ we're talking about. He's the top fashion designer in the world and he has the money and means to take good care of Adrien." Marinette asked.

"Again, it's just an ultimatum we're using as a last ditch effort," Rochelle said. "We'll go through with it for real if it comes to it."

"Rochelle's right, Marinette," Marissa said, as she sat down. "Food, shelter, and such are necessities for people, but there are such things as higher level needs. Pride, accomplishment, companionship, etc. From what Rochelle has told me, it seems like Adrien's higher level needs aren't being met."

"So what do we do?" Marinette asked.

"Simple: we bring Adrien back to his house, and then mom and I will talk to Gabriel over the issue. Then when Gabriel insists otherwise, Adrien jumps in and says this: "Loosen up or I won't be your son anymore; I'll put myself up for adoption if that's what it takes." Once Gabriel hears that, maybe that will get him to stop." Rochelle explains.

Rochelle then got an alert from her phone: Adrien was ready to put his foot down.

"Let's go." Rochelle said to her mother.

After going to Nino's house to pick up Adrien, Marissa and Rochelle went back to the Agreste Mansion. They were sitting in the conference room in the mansion, with Gabriel on one side of the table.

"Mrs. and Ms. DeL'eau, thank you for coming," Gabriel said, before sternly turning to his son. "Adrien, I'm glad you've come to your senses and came back home."

Adrien merely dropped his gaze. Rochelle put a hand on his shoulder.

"This isn't really a _home_ for him, Mr. Agreste," Marissa said, in a professional tone. "According to Adrien, you seldom make any time with him. Any time that he has free is taken up by things like Chinese lessons, fencing, etc. There's hardly any time for _him_ to get a break or have any fun with his friends! From your son's perspective, you're so concerned about your reputation that you can't be bothered to spend time with Adrien or do away with some of the other superfluous obligations."

"Mrs. DeL'eau, I think you misunderstand," Gabriel said. "I know what's best for my son."

"Do you really?" Rochelle piped up. "I beg to differ. Adrien confided in me. What kind of pathetic excuse for a parent won't let his own son have a birthday party?"

"Excuse me, young lady?" Gabriel said.

"I'm saying you're an unsuitable parent for Adrien." Rochelle said.

"My daughter is correct," Marissa said. "You have no idea what Adrien really wants or desires in life. And you leave everything regarding Adrien to your secretary? Do you even _care_ about him?"

"Of course I do!" Gabriel said, slamming his hands on the table.

"No you don't, father!" Adrien shouted, finally speaking his mind. "I've had enough of your callous behavior! I took off because I wanted some freedom! I'm sick of the restrictions!"

Marissa and Rochelle nodded in agreement, before letting Adrien call out his father.

"The hassling, the reputation, the scheduling! It's too much!" Adrien said. "I can't take it anymore. Which is why this is the final straw, father. If you want me to be happy, then loosen up. Give me some freedom to have my friends in my life, and be proud of me for being _Adrien_ , not _Adrien Agreste_ , son of Gabriel Agreste the fashion designer, and heir to the Gabriel fashion line." Adrien said.

"Or else what?" Gabriel said, not understanding the point.

"Or else I'll put myself up for adoption!" Adrien said, slamming some papers in front his father.

"ADOPTION?! I'll have no part of that!" Gabriel shouted, standing up. "You are my son and mine alone!"

"Then you heard Adrien: loosen up or he's gone for good!" Rochelle said. "And we'll make sure it's _legal_ , too! We'll have him emancipated in the worst case scenario."

Gabriel was taken aback. He did not expect his son to pull this out of his hat. Gabriel then went silent for a bit. He thought over everything his son said, and he realized that everyone in the room had him beat.

"... I understand. I'll have you pulled from the activities that you are unhappy with and free up some time for you to spend with your friends. But the photoshoots are not up for debate." Gabriel said, yielding to his son.

"Thank you so much, father! That's all I've ever wanted." Adrien said.

Adrien and Rochelle immediately shared a high-five. The future was looking brighter for Adrien, as he felt a little less suffocated in his life.

* * *

The next day at school, Rochelle was in the classroom with Alya and Marinette. They had told Alya and Nino everything - minus everything with Siren and Ladybug - and Alya was relieved that everything turned out all right.

"Wow, it's a good thing you were there for him, Rochelle," Alya said. "Finally, that old coot's loosened up."

"Yeah, I knew things with his dad were bad, but I didn't think it would get to that point." Nino said.

"I hope things get better for Adrien," Marinette said. "I hate to see him unhappy."

"Speak of the devil," Rochelle said. "There he is."

Adrien came into the classroom; he had a huge smile on his face.

"Hey, Rochelle!" Adrien said, waving to her. "Thank you and your mom so much for your help."

"It's no problem, Adrien," Rochelle said. "I'm just glad things are going to be less stifling for you."

"I owe it to you and your mom." Adrien said.

He soon sat down next to Nino, and they shared a fist bump.

Rochelle looked over to see Marinette watching Adrien with a smitten expression. Looking between the two of them, Rochelle began to think.

 _'So, Marinette is Ladybug and smitten with Adrien, but Adrien is Cat Noir, who's crushing hard on Ladybug, who's really Marinette. And I'm the only one who knows who Ladybug is and I also am now the only one who knows who Cat Noir is.'_ Rochelle thought.

Seeing the dynamics between the two alter-egos, Rochelle realized that she would probably be in a tight position if they were to find out the truth. She then grew an uncomfortable facial expression.

 _'Oh boy... I can only imagine how they're going to react when the truth comes out. I'd better keep my mouth shut.'_ Rochelle thought, before sweat dropping and shaking her head.

* * *

 **So now Rochelle knows who Cat Noir is, too!**

 **I hope you all liked this chapter. Sorry for no akuma attack, but I think we just needed to change the focus for one chapter. Speaking of which, the school year is going to be starting up for me soon, so I probably won't be updating as often.**

 **Coming up, Colbert makes another appearance! When Kim asks out Rochelle in front of him, it could very well turn into an all-out boy brawl! Poor girl...**


	9. Chapter 8

**Time for a love triangle! And for once, it's not involving Adrien or Marinette. This time Rochelle's the one caught in the middle!**

 **Colbert's back, and he's transferred to Rochelle's school due to circumstances. And with his crush on her more prominent than ever, he intends on making a move. Sadly, Kim beats him to the punch! Uh-oh!**

 **Rochelle's stuck, unsure of what to do, because she doesn't want to risk either boy getting akumatized! It doesn't help matters that Marinette tells her about the** ** _last time_** **that Kim got rejected by a girl. We all know how THAT ended.  
**

* * *

It was a new day at school for everyone. Rochelle was still the greatest confidant to Marinette about her troubles as Ladybug, but she now found herself being a confidant to Adrien about his Cat Noir issues. Needless to say, it was hard keeping the identity of one secret from the other.

Rochelle was sitting in class, waiting on Alya and Marinette. She was thinking over her new situation.

 _'It's so tricky keeping Marinette and Adrien's secrets from each other. Why does this have to be so hard?! I'm only keeping quiet out of respect for Marinette. She told me she didn't want her secret getting out because she's afraid of disappointing others. But at the end of the day, Marinette and Ladybug are one and the same. The same applies to Adrien and Cat Noir. Besides, it might be better for them to figure it out on their own. Mom always told me that when it comes to matters of the heart and relationships, a third party can only help so much. Otherwise it becomes borderline meddling.'_ Rochelle thought, mulling over the predicament.

Speaking of Marinette, Rochelle soon saw the door open and she walked in. Right on time, for once. Rochelle waved her BFF over, and then Marinette arrived at Rochelle's seat.

"Hi, Rochelle!" Marinette said.

"Hey," Rochelle said. "Where's Alya?"

"Oh, she should be on her way." Marinette said.

Alya soon came in, along with Nino. Marinette had informed Rochelle that Alya and Nino were an item after the whole Animan fiasco.

 _'Those two are cute together. I'm surprised it started with Nino putting his foot in his mouth when trying to get a date with Marinette.'_ Rochelle said, giggling to herself.

However, Rochelle soon saw Adrien come in. He gave Rochelle a wave, and Rochelle waved back. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw Marinette blush and get a goofy smile on her face.

 _'Oh boy, Marinette's smitten with a kitten and she doesn't even know it!'_ Rochelle thought, internally shaking her head. _'Good thing I don't have anyone like that in my life yet. It'd become insane.'_

Little did she know that she had just jinxed herself. Everyone else had piled into the classroom - save for Kim for some reason - and they were all talking and chatting about nothing important.

Soon, Madame Bustier walked into the room, and she clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

"Okay, everyone," Madame Bustier said. "We have another friend joining our class. He transferred here from a different school in town due to familial circumstances."

Everyone was murmuring about this new person. Rochelle paid no attention to this, but in the back of her mind, she knew that she probably would probably have to keep an eye on him in case Chloé tried to pull something.

The door opened, and a fit, yet lanky boy with black hair, brown eyes, and freckles came in. For Marinette and Rochelle, he was a familiar face.

"Everyone, meet Colbert Rousseau." Madame Bustier said.

As Colbert timidly looked around the class, he and Rochelle locked eyes.

"Rochelle?" Colbert asked, smiling.

"Colbert?! Hey, great to see you!" Rochelle said.

Colbert immediately ran up the steps and he soon came to Rochelle's spot.

"It's great to see a familiar face here," Colbert said. "Now I don't feel so alone."

Rochelle blushed a bit, and she said, "That's good to hear. So, how has your swim practice been coming along?"

"It's been coming along _swimmingly._ " Colbert said, making a joke that actually caused everyone in the room to laugh.

 _'Hey, how come whenever I make a joke, no one laughs?!'_ Adrien thought, a little jealous of Colbert's sense of humor.

"Well, since it seems that Colbert knows you, Rochelle, how about you be his guide for the week? That's normally something left to our class president, Marinette, but I think this will facilitate Colbert's transition." Madame Bustier asked.

"Sure thing!" Rochelle said, with a big smile on her face.

Colbert blushed, seeing Rochelle's happy face.

Marinette and Alya saw this, and they both got curious and eager to see what would go down.

"So Colbert, are you okay with sitting with Rochelle?" Madame Bustier inquired.

"Yes, I am!" Colbert said, as he sat next to Rochelle.

Because it was basically four people to the desk at that point, Madame Bustier had to reshuffle the classroom so that everyone was still sitting in the same configuration (who sat next to whom) while still finding room for Rochelle and Colbert.

"It's really good to see you again, Rochelle," Colbert said, slowly reaching for her hand. "Having a friend here is really comforting."

Rochelle smiled and giggled a bit before saying, "I... I-I-I... I'm glad you're here, too."

Marinette and Alya were smiling at each other, seeing the blossoming romance between Colbert and Rochelle. Rose, ever the romantic, was also interested in the slow development.

However, things were about to take a turn for the crazier. The door to the classroom opened up again, and this time Kim walked in. He was holding a bouquet of flowers - orange and red roses, and sunflowers, to be exact. There were some blue irises mixed in as well. There was even a card.

Madame Bustier immediately looked at the athletic boy and sternly said, "Mr. Lê Chién, you are tardy."

"Sorry, Madame Bustier, but I had to get something." Kim said, as he held up the bouquet.

Everyone else started murmuring and talking about what Kim would be doing with flowers, of all things. Even _Chloé_ , of all people, was curious.

"Flowers?" Marinette said, whispering to Alya. "Why would he have flowers? He'd better not be trying to ask Chloé out again."

"Yeah, we all know how _that_ ended up." Alya muttered.

Marinette groaned internally, since she remembered the Valentine's Day madness that occurred with Dark Cupid.

Kim started walking, with determination in his face over to someone. Everyone was half expecting it to be Chloé, but to their surprise, he went right past her.

He walked up the steps, and with what seemed to be tunnel vision, he stopped in front of Rochelle.

"Uh..." Rochelle began, surprised at Kim's actions. Colbert, whom Kim apparently failed to notice, began feeling a sense of dread in his gut.

Kim handed Rochelle the flowers, and then he took out the card. Rochelle took the flowers and gave Kim a questioning look. He took a deep breath, and then he started to read it aloud.

 _"My bounty is as boundless as the sea. My love as deep; the more I give thee, the more I have, for both are infinite."_ Kim quoted.

Everyone - Madame Bustier especially - recognized it as a quotation from _Romeo and Juliet_ , one of Shakespeare's most famous works.

Kim continued, this time saying, _"O! She doth teaches to the torches to burn bright. It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night, like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear. Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, as yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand, and, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love 'till now? Forswear it sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty until this night."_

Everyone was agape at the exchange. Rochelle and Colbert especially. Rochelle was not sure what to make of this.

 _'Did he...? What is he doing?!'_ Rochelle thought, completely surprised at the event. Colbert was seething with jealousy and shock at the thought of someone asking out Rochelle.

Madame Bustier cut into the awkwardness and said, "Mr. Lê Chién, if you are trying to show off how well you've kept up with our Shakespeare unit, you're doing a good job, but this isn't the time or place for this."

Kim ignored Madame Bustier, and just continued.

"Rochelle DeL'eau..." Kim began, as he put the card down, took Rochelle's free hand into both of his own, and got down on one knee, causing everyone to gasp and an uproar to start. _"Will you go out with me?"_

Everyone exploded with shock and excitement at this turn of events. Marinette and Alya just grew bug-eyed at the whole exchange. Colbert was getting angry, everyone was curious as to what was going to happen next. Madame Bustier had half a mind to stop it, but the commotion had just gotten too out of hand.

Rochelle's face went redder than a boiled lobster, and just looked at Kim with wide eyes. She could tell by his body language that he was serious.

"I... Uh..." Rochelle began, not sure what to do or say.

" _ **Mr. Lê Chién!**_ That is  quite enough! Now go to your seat so we can continue our Shakespeare lesson. You gave us a good the starting point with this." Madame Butsier sternly said.

Kim snapped out of it, and then he whispered in Rochelle's ear, "I'll give you time to think it over."

He went back to his seat, next to Max. Kim was still blushing while giving Rochelle some amorous looks.

Rochelle, still red in the face, could not concentrate on the lesson. Colbert, still angry, could not really think, either.

* * *

Later at her locker, Rochelle put the flowers inside, slammed the door shut, and then laid her head against the door. She groaned really loudly, completely in shock at the turn of events.

"What just happened?!" Rochelle muttered.

"You were asked out by Kim, that's what happened!" Marinette cheerfully said. Alya nodded, too, very anxious for more details.

"Marinette," Rochelle darkly said. "This was out of the blue. I don't talk to Kim very much, so what on earth could have brought this on?! Didn't he notice the setting?!"

"Yeah, I have to admit that his timing was BAD," Alya said. "Did he even _notice_ that Colbert was sitting there?"

"I guess not," Marinette said. "So what are you going to do?"

"I think the proper question is what can I do." Rochelle said.

Alya soon got an alert on her phone and said, "Oh, gotta go! Nino and I are getting lunch together."

Alya split the scene, leaving Marinette and Rochelle to breathe.

"Good, she's gone," Rochelle muttered. "The bottom line is that I don't want my true feelings to be the trigger for an akuma."

"Do you have feelings for Kim?" Marinette asked.

"I hardly know the guy, so how _can_ I have feelings for him?" Rochelle said, as she read over the card again.

"What about Colbert?" Marinette inquired.

Rochelle blushed, and said, "Well, he is my swimming student. And he was such a sweetheart to me during the whole Poseidon disaster."

"So?" Marinette asked, trying to coax more details out of Rochelle.

"...I think I _do_ like him," Rochelle said. "But now that Kim put me on the spot like that, I'm not sure what to do."

"I think it's simple: you turn him down," Marinette said. "All you have to do is be gentle and kind about it. Back on Valentine's Day, Kim asked out _Chloé_ of all people, and he was humiliated by the rejection. She snapped a photo of him and sent a chain text to everyone in class. He was akumatized into Dark Cupid."

"...If you were trying to encourage me, Marinette, that was _NO HELP_. And seriously, he asked out _Chloé Bourgeois_?! Was his taste in girls _that bad_?" Rochelle said.

"Considering he asked you out today, I think he's moved on to better things." Marinette said, with a smile.

Rochelle groaned and laid against her locker. She was even more upset about what to do now.

* * *

Colbert, meanwhile, could not really relax after everything that happened. He was walking to his newly-assigned locker and he was fuming.

Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Kim talking to Max at their respective lockers. Colbert was angry, but not to the point where could be akumatized. He began to approach the two boys.

"...So, how do you think I did, Max?" Kim inquired.

"You mean other than your horrendous timing? Like Madame Bustier said, there's a time and a place for everything," Max said, pushing his glasses up his face. "That aside, I think your taste in girls has improved by leaps and bounds since Valentine's Day. And your flower choices were impeccable, too. Red roses are a sign of love, and the orange roses were a sign of your enthusiasm to ask her out. The sunflowers were a nice touch, since they mean that you want to continue being friends regardless of what happens. And the blue irises were also a nice color contrast to pair with the orange, red, and yellow tones of the bouquet. Blue irises also show how much you admire her, too."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, enough with the flower trivia," Kim said. "So..."

"So, what I want to know is what exactly started this? I know you had feelings for Chloé at one point, but...?" Max asked.

"Oh..." Kim began, before blushing. "Well, it started when she first came to our class..."

 _~Flashback Sequence - Narrated By Kim~  
~Flashback #1~_

 _"Everyone," Madame Bustier said, at the beginning of the day. "We have a new friend joining us today. From the Crescent City of New Orleans, Louisiana, we have Rochelle."_

 _Kim's eyes went wide when he saw Rochelle. Her eyes sparkled in the light of the classroom, and her hair was shiny and healthy. She had a healthy amount of color on her face, and she looked very cheerful._

 _Kim blushed, and rested his face on one of his hands. He smiled a bit, as he took Rochelle's profile in._

 _'When I saw her for the first time, I had to admit she was beautiful. I've never seen a girl so beautiful without having any makeup on.'_

 _"Hello," Rochelle said, in perfect French. "I hope to get along with everyone here."_

 _'I wanted to talk to her. I honestly felt attracted to her.'_

 _~Flashback #2~_

 _Rochelle was at the athletic complex, and was swimming in the pool, happy and having fun. Kim was nearby at the pool, watching her from a distance. His face was red and he felt his heartbeat go a little faster._

 _'When I learned she was a fellow athlete, I felt my heart pound. She looked gorgeous in the water, and it looked like she was having so much fun. I wanted to join her. But it was like she was in her own world, and it made me want to just let her be.'_

 _Rochelle dove and twirled in the water, smiling and singing with joy._

 _'She was like something out of a dream. Kind of stupid, huh?'_

 _~Flashback #3~_

 _Kim was in the audience at the singing competition. He was not really expecting much, he was just there out of boredom._

 _"Due to circumstances, our next act, Jade Cosgrove, cannot perform," The emcee said, getting disappointed groans from the audience. "So singing on Jade's behalf, we have Rochelle DeL'eau!"_

 _Alya, Marinette, and Chloe were all shocked that Rochelle was singing. Kim did not expect to hear Rochelle's name being called._

 _"I thought she wasn't competing!" Chloe declared._

 _Rochelle walked on stage. Kim stood up_ _straight in surprise._

 _'I honestly wasn't expecting Rochelle to compete in that competition, let alone win.'_

 _"With a sound, the colors were changing. And if you gazed deeply at the blue sky, you could bring your distant memories back to you." Rochelle sang._

 _"You know, beyond the seven seas, I just have this feeling someone is crying with their heart squealing in pain. Please save me..." Rochelle sang, putting a hand to her chest._

 _Kim was in shock. He was entranced by her singing voice. He had never heard a more beautiful sound. He relaxed at the sound and just imagined the scenes unfold with her singing voice._

 _"Something, anything to notify me of my fate. I embrace the guidance of the stars in my chest." Rochelle sang, before getting into the next part of the song. She was going for it._

 _"It shines forever with blue, like my beloved sea. To protect the future, now I gather power for the people and places I should be loving!" Rochelle sang._

 _'Her voice was so beautiful, I couldn't stop listening. It was just so perfect.'_

 _~Flashback #4~_

 _'I also never thought anyone would have the spine to stand up to Chloé the way that she did. It was amazing.'_

 _He remembered he was walking through the halls when Rochelle was calling Chloe out. Kim noticed his crush was there, so he hid behind the other corridor._

 _"Wake up and smell your own overwhelming perfume,_ _Chloé!" Rochelle said._

 _Kim had watched the whole thing, and he felt his heart swell with love and affection for Rochelle._

 _'I couldn't help but join in when everyone else was applauding her for standing up to Chloé. I couldn't have been more impressed.'_

 _"Rochelle! Rochelle! Rochelle!" Everyone chanted._

 _'I joined in when the class and I were tossing Rochelle up in the air, applauding her for her guts! I even got to touch her hand at some point.'_

 _Once the students had put Rochelle down, she and Kim shared a high-five, and Kim felt his heart throb sweetly. Kim blushed._

 _~End of Flashback Sequence!~_

"Beautiful, emotionally strong, athletic, gutsy, there for others... How can you not love that girl?" Kim said, sighing romantically.

"Now I see what you see in her," Max said. "But why act _now_?"

"Well, "Romeo and Juliet" is a popular love story, isn't it? I thought that since we were studying it in class, it would be a good chance to tell her." Kim said, shrugging.

"You certainly have been taking our Shakespeare unit seriously if you could write down entire passages." Max said.

"Excuse me," Colbert said, interrupting the boys. "Kim, I need to talk to you, one-on-one."

Kim immediately recognized Colbert as the boy sitting next to Rochelle in class.

"Um, okay." Kim said, as he followed Colbert.

The two boys walked into an empty classroom. Once Colbert shut the door, he breathed a sigh of relief, and then turned to Kim. He shoved Kim against the wall, and glared at him.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Kim asked.

"What were you thinking, doing that to Rochelle?!" Colbert demanded. "Didn't you notice I was even there?!"

"Barely, but yes," Kim said. "Is it so wrong to ask a girl out?"

Colbert recoiled a bit, before saying, "No, but it's _how_ you did it that I'm upset about! You embarrassed her in front of the whole class!"

"Why do you care so much?" Kim inquired. "You're just the new boy."

"No, I'm Rochelle's bo... her friend. She's been giving me swimming lessons on Saturdays." Colbert said. He nearly said 'boyfriend', but he luckily caught himself.

"So that's how you know her," Kim said, as he crossed his arms. "But again, it's none of your business."

Colbert snapped and said, "Of course it is! I was going to ask her out after school today, but then _YOU_ moved in on my girl!"

Kim immediately realized that Colbert was his rival for Rochelle's affections.

"So, you like her, too?" Kim said.

"No... I _love_ her!" Colbert declared. "So, since we're on the subject, what brought this crush on Rochelle on?"

"I guess the bro code trumps the rivalry thing here," Kim said. "She's beautiful."

"No argument there, but it can't be just that, can it?" Colbert asked.

"Well, no. She's an amazing swimmer. Athletes got to stick together, don't they?" Kim said.

"Again, I don't argue with her swimming skills, but 'athletes got to stick together?' Come on!" Colbert said. "Anyway, what else?"

"She doesn't have a filter, but it's with the best intentions," Kim said. "I've seen her stand up to Chloé. She's amazing. She didn't hold back, she told it like it was. It was awesome."

"Yeah, she stands up to people who are in the wrong, no matter what. There's more, though, isn't there?" Colbert said.

"Definitely," Kim said, blushing. "She's got a great singing voice."

"Amen to that." Colbert said.

"I don't think I've ever met a girl like Rochelle," Kim said, a lovesick look on his face. "What about you? What do you see in her, Colbert?"

"Aside from everything else you mentioned?" Colbert asked, eliciting a nod from Kim. "She... She saved my life."

"What do you mean? Isn't that a little corny?" Kim asked, snickering a bit.

"This isn't a joke!" Colbert said. "She seriously _did_ save my life! See, what happened was..."

 _~Flashback - Chapter Three~_

 _Colbert smiled again, feeling more confident. When it was his turn on the diving board, he took a deep breath. He stepped onto the board, and made his way to the edge. He was still afraid. However, he knew that he would not take the first step towards conquering his fear if he did not dive off the board._

 _However, one of the more malicious of the boys had a pretty nasty smile on his face. Just as Colbert was about to quite literally dive in, the boy heavily pushed Colbert. Colbert flailed his arms in fright, and then he fell into the pool face-first. He was panicking and floundering in the water, struggling to keep his head above water. Colbert started to sink, and then he was still in the water._

 _Knowing where this could be going, Rochelle immediately dove underwater before the coach even had the chance. She immediately swam her way over to Colbert, and then she grabbed him before surfacing._

 _As she took in some air, she noticed something that made her eyes widen._

 _"He's not breathing...!" She shouted. Rochelle brought him onto the pool deck, laid him down gently, and began performing CPR._

 _The coach, meanwhile, was reprimanding the boys who had been participating in the teasing. He noticed that Rochelle knew what she was doing, and decided to let a pro swimmer do her thing._

 _After a third round of chest compressions, Colbert coughed up some water and started breathing heavily._

 _"You okay?" Rochelle asked._

 _"Waterlogged, but fine," Colbert said. However, one look at Rochelle and his face was red from something other than lack of air. "At least I hope I will be."_

 _~End of Flashback~_

"...And there you have it." Colbert said.

"Sounds like we both have our hearts on Rochelle," Kim said, with a smirk and an evil look on his face. "Looks like we're due for a brawl for her heart. Get ready for that."

Colbert, appalled at such a prospect, started growling and glaring at Kim. Sparks were flying between them, but they were not the good kind.

Max, meanwhile, had seen the whole thing from outside the classroom, and he was looking at the scene in concern.

 _'Oh boy...'_ Max thought. _'This isn't going to go_ _over well, is it?'_

* * *

After school that day, Rochelle was up in her bedroom, trying - and failing - to get her literature homework done. She was already finished with all of the other subjects.

She had put the flowers that Kim gave her into a vase and put them on her windowsill. She wanted them out of sight so she could concentrate, but she was having a hard time thinking.

As she was reading the visual novel version of "Romeo and Juliet", she felt a little nervous. Every line she read just reminded her of what Kim did earlier that day.

"UGH!" Rochelle shouted, before slamming her head against the desk.

"Can't concentrate?" Finni asked, eating some saltines.

"No, I can't," Rochelle said. "Reading this is just giving me flashbacks of what Kim did this morning!"

"That was ridiculous. His timing was terrible," Finni said. "And in front of _Colbert?!_ What was he thinking!?"

"What indeed," Rochelle groaned. "I don't feel that way about Kim, but if I turn him down, I could hurt his feelings and cause him to become akumatized. And if I DON'T turn him down, I'd be leading him on and that would be just as bad. And Colbert wouldn't be happy about that, either, and that could cause him to become akumatized!"

"You're caught between a rock and a hard place, no doubt. But you'd better figure out a way to focus. You're reading the remainder of the play in class tomorrow, so if you don't buckle down, you won't be able to focus or keep up with the class." Finni said.

" _I'm_ more worried about being bombarded with questions by everyone in class tomorrow." Rochelle said, feeling really nervous.

"Try thinking about something else," Finni said. "For example, how to get Marinette and Adrien together now that you know that they're Ladybug and Cat Noir. You can get them together and they can be an item as heroes and as people."

"I don't play matchmaker, Finni," Rochelle said. "That is in bad taste. Besides, I can only do so much or else it goes into meddling territory."

Finni's fins drooped. Rochelle had a point.

* * *

The next day at school, Rochelle was walking through the halls, the hair on the back of her neck raised up, and she was feeling really nervous. She was hoping to encounter neither Kim nor Colbert on the way to class.

"Hey, Rochelle," Someone said, and Rochelle turned behind her to see Colbert. One of the _last_ people she wanted to see. "Um... are you okay after what happened yesterday?"

"...I still have no idea what to do," Rochelle said. "I just need some time alone to think it over."

Rochelle kept walking to class. Colbert felt horrible. He wanted to help Rochelle, but he felt like there was nothing he could do.

Kim, meanwhile, was at his locker, reading over "Romeo and Juliet" once again. He was looking for more quotations to use so he could potentially win over Rochelle, without interference from Colbert.

He spotted Rochelle walking to class, and was about to call out to her, but someone said, "Don't you even _dare_!"

Kim turned to see Colbert, glaring at him.

"It's your fault that Rochelle is so confused and unsure of what to do!" Colbert shouted.

"Excuse me?!" Kim said.

"You know I'm right," Colbert said. "You don't put a girl on the spot like that! And how do you know she likes someone else *cough* me *cough* and is too afraid of causing an akuma to say anything?!"

Sparks of hate once again started flying between them and then they 'humphed' and turned their backs on each other, crossing their arms.

In class, Rochelle was sitting at her desk, with Colbert next to her. Colbert and Kim were once again glaring daggers at one another, sparks were flying, and the vibe in the room was uncomfortable. Everyone was unsure of what to make of the situation.

"So, who knows what Rochelle's going to decide?" "It's her choice." "But what brought this on? Why would Kim be smitten with Rochelle out of nowhere?"

Hearing all of the gossip and the questions from her peers was driving Rochelle crazy.

Madame Bustier soon clapped her hands to start class, and then she said, "Okay, everyone. We're now going to read and act out Act 5, Scene 3 - that is, the last of the play."

 _'That's when Romeo and Paris battle it out in front of Juliet's "grave" and Romeo winds up killing Paris. It's also when Romeo kills himself to be with Juliet in death and puts an end to the feud.'_ Rochelle thought.

"To make it easier for everyone to understand, we shall modernize the language. And considering yesterday's _disruption_ , I know just who shall play whom. Romeo shall be read by Colbert, and Kim will be playing the part of Paris." Madame Bustier said.

Colbert and Kim glared at each other again, both giving each other the vibe, "Bring it on."

"And our _lady of the hour_ , Rochelle, shall be Juliet. Rochelle, I need you to come up in front of my desk and lay down on the ground as if you were really dead." Madame Bustier said.

 _'Not you, too, Madame!'_ Rochelle thought, slapping herself in the face.

Rochelle complied, though, and soon laid in front of Madame Bustier's desk.

"And... Action!" Madame Bustier said, as she clapped her hands.

Kim came in from the left and started his part.

"Keep a lookout, page. I'll take your torch, meanwhile you hide under the trees and have _your_ torch out. Whistle if you see someone coming. Now hand me those flowers," Kim said, as he used his hand movements to make it seem like he was actually holding flowers. He started to pretend to scatter petals around Rochelle. "My sweet flower, I'm spreading these flowers over your bed, fit for a bride. Ugh, it hurts that your canopy is only rocks! But worry not, my love. I'll come and water these flowers with sweet water every eve. If I can't do that, I'll bring you fresh flowers and weep for you each night."

 _'Ugh, this is humiliating!'_ Rochelle thought, trying her best not to move.

Kim pretended to hear someone whistle and then he said, "Someone's coming? Who's walking around here at this hour? Or more importantly, who dares interrupt my rituals of true love? Oh man, they have a torch. I'd better hide."

Kim then left and pretended to hide somewhere.

Colbert entered from the right, and said, "Okay, give me the pickaxe and crowbar, and take this letter to my father tomorrow morning. Now hand me the torch. Now, whatever happens, no matter what, _stay back_. No interference must happen. I'm here not only to see my beloved wife, but to get the ring off of her finger. I need it for something else. Try to intervene, and I _will_ leave you for dead at the hands of the animals! Now, my friend, take this. Farewell..."

As Colbert tried to mime breaking into the grave, Kim was speaking his lines.

"That arrogant Montague, the one who killed my beloved's cousin and was exiled! She died because of grief over him! So, he thinks he can come here and commit more crimes on the dead?! Not on my watch! I'll catch him and bring him to justice," Kim said, as he then came out from his 'hiding spot' and spoke to Colbert. "Stop right there, Montague! I've caught you red-handed! Is revenge really capable of reaching beyond death?! You have to die, so you're coign with me!"

"I know I have to perish; that's why I'm here," Colbert said, reciting his lines, too. "Good man, please don't mess with a desperate guy, it isn't wise. Please, leave and leave me be. Don't forgot those who have passed on, and let them scare you. It will do you good _not_ to anger me. I care about others more than myself, so the only weapons I have are intended for use against myself. Just go, and say a nutcase told you to run."

"No way! You're a criminal and I'm going to book you for what you've done!" Kim said, pretending to draw a sword.

"You're seriously going to provoke me? Alright, then bring it on!" Colbert said, as he also pretended to draw a sword.

The two of them started to act out a sword fighting scene. Rochelle was hoping for it to stop and soon, because she was not really enjoying being in the position she was in.

Colbert then pretended to fatally stab Kim. Kim pretended to be choking and dying, before saying, "I... I'm going to die... Please, if you know mercy, lay me next to my dear Juliet."

"I will, I promise. Now, to see who I just killed... Oh, crap, Count Paris, Mercutio's relative. Damn, and he said that Paris was about to wed my Juliet. I can't believe I went and jumped to conclusions..." Colbert said, as he then started acting out the rest of the scene.

He pretended to open the grave, and then said, "This isn't a grave, Paris. It's a lantern, and Juliet is the flame that lights up the whole room."

After a brief period, Colbert put Kim down next to Rochelle, and then he approached Rochelle, continuing his role.

"My beloved wife. You may have passed on, but you're still so beautiful, with your cheeks and lips still a healthy color. Tybalt, if you're there, the least I can do is kill the man who murdered you with the same hand. My sweet Juliet, you're still stunning. I guess death has fallen for you and is keeping you as a lover. Not if I can help it. I'll stay with you forever. With one last hug, one last look, and one last kiss..." Colbert began.

He started to lean in and made to kiss Rochelle. She herself was getting shivers from the discomfort of the situation.

 _'Come on, Madame Bustier, put a stop to this, please!'_ Rochelle thought, desperate for the whole thing to stop.

Colbert faked the kiss, however, and then he pretended to pop the poison. He then said, "Time to crash this plane into the ocean. So I die with one last kiss."

Colbert then pretended to die on the ground.

"And scene!" Madame Bustier said, and then everyone stood up. "Good work, all of you."

 _'Oh, what a relief.'_ Rochelle thought, going back to her seat.

Colbert and Kim were still giving each other dirty looks, and soon class resumed.

* * *

Once class was over, Colbert was at his locker. He was blushing, still a little riled up over the near-kiss with Rochelle.

 _'I was so close. If it weren't a class, I would have kissed her for real.'_ Colbert thought.

"Hey." Kim said, getting Colbert's attention.

"What do you want, Kim?" Colbert asked.

"You did good in class." Kim said.

"...Thanks." Colbert said, as he made to leave.

"...Want to fight for Rochelle for real?" Kim said.

"Excuse me?" Colbert asked, turning back to his rival.

"Simple, we just compete, and the winner earns the right to ask out Rochelle." Kim said.

"Are you insane?!" Colbert asked. "That isn't right!"

"Really?" Kim asked, crossing his arms and smirking. "Are you sure you aren't being a chicken?"

"Me?! Chicken?!" Colbert asked, getting angry. "No, I'm not."

"So man up and fight for the girl," Kim said. "A swimming race should be a good one. How does Friday afternoon at the athletic complex sound?"

"It's a deal!" Colbert said, as he and Kim shook hands. "Rochelle trained me herself. I'm confident I can at least be evenly matched with you."

* * *

That Friday afternoon, Rochelle had had enough with all of the drama between Colbert and Kim vying for her affection.

"Ugh, all of this madness is driving me nuts," Rochelle said. "Going swimming will help me clear my head."

"I think that's just what you need." Finni said.

She had entered the athletic complex's swimming area, wearing her swimsuit, ready for a swim break, when...

"Rochelle! Oh, Rochelle!" Marinette shouted, as she ran over to Rochelle.

"Marinette? What's going on?" Rochelle asked.

"We've got trouble!" Marinette shouted.

"Calm down," Rochelle said. "What kind of trouble? An akuma?"

"No! Kim and Colbert are having a swim race..." Marinette said. "And the winner gets the right to ask you out!"

"SAY WHAT?!" Rochelle shouted. She and Marinette broke into a sprint. Rochelle followed Marinette into one of the pool rooms, and then they burst through the doors.

Everyone in their class was sitting on the bleachers, with Alya playing emcee for the event. Meanwhile, everyone was cheering for either Kim or Colbert. Marinette was looking at the scene awkwardly, and Rochelle was seething.

"On your marks..." Alya began, as she raised her hand.

Kim and Colbert were on some boxes above the lanes, and were in diving positions to start the race.

Colbert turned to Kim said, "I don't care for wagering a date on this, but may the best swimmer win."

"I'm sure you'll be a great competitor, Colbert," Kim said. "Rochelle taught you. I'm expecting a great race."

Colbert and Kim then nodded to each other before refocusing on the race.

"Get set... GO!" Alya shouted, karate-chopping the air, in lieu of a whistle.

Kim and Colbert immediately dove in and started swimming like professionals.

"So, our swim competition is just underway! It's Lê Chién Kim versus Colbert Rousseau! The race has just started, and they're already neck-and-neck!" Alya said. "It's twenty laps, and the winner of the race will prove himself worthy enough to pursue the romantic affections of our favorite American girl, Rochelle DeL'eau!"

"I can't _believe_ that they're turning my predicament into a competition!" Rochelle said, on fire.

Alya noticed Rochelle, and soon said, "Okay, peeps, speak of the devil, here she is now! Come on, Rochelle!"

Alya stormed over to Alya and then she demanded of her, "Alya, _how in the name of the Dead Sea_ did this come about?!"

Adrien piped up and said, "Well, after reading the last of "Romeo and Juliet" in class, Kim challenged Colbert to a swimming match with the wager being the right to ask you out. Colbert wasn't really fond of the idea. In fact, he protested, but then Kim called him 'chicken' and then Colbert gave in."

 _"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"_ Rochelle shouted. "I have to stop this!"

She soon remembered that she had a whistle somewhere and then ran back to the locker to get it.

"They're taking things too far!" Finni said. She used her intangibility powers to go into the locker, and then grabbed the whistle.

"Thanks, Finni! Time to end this." Rochelle shouted, before dashing back to the race.

Back at the race, everyone was hollering and whooping to encourage the boys.

"Colbert has already finished five laps as of right now, and Kim is close behind by about two feet!" Alya said. "And here comes our heroine, running in with... A whistle?"

Rochelle ran to the other side of the pool, and then she waited for the boys to approach.

Seeing them coming close, Rochelle took a very deep breath, and blew into the whistle VERY hard. The tweeting noise caused everyone to cover their ears from the noise. Once Colbert and Kim reached the edge, they stopped swimming and covered their ears, too.

Once Rochelle ran out of air, she stopped blowing the whistle, and started breathing heavily. Colbert and Kim were looking her, and they noticed how angry she was.

 _ **"STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"**_ Rochelle hollered.

"And it looks like our swimming champion is calling the boys out! What's going to happen?" Alya said, still playing emcee.

"I'm **_SO_** angry at you two! If you think that you can just race each other to see who can get a romantic relationship going with the same girl, then clearly you don't care about how **_I_** feel!" Rochelle said, tears flooding her eyes. "You don't wager a relationship like that! It isn't fair to the girl involved! If you two want to prove yourselves as men or whatever to each other, go ahead, but leave my feelings out of it!"

Everyone went silent at Rochelle's rant. They were shocked that she would say such things. Kim and Colbert were especially shocked.

Colbert's face fell. He knew that doing this was wrong, but he let Kim's primitive and childish teasing get the better of him.

Rochelle started crying, and began to run out of the room. Colbert immediately got out of the pool, and caught a towel that Nathanael had thrown at him.

"Thanks, Nathanael," Colbert said, before turning to Kim. "Rochelle's right! I can't believe I stooped to your level! This race if _OFF_!"

Colbert briefly dried himself off and started to run after Rochelle. Kim himself also swam to the ladder and pulled himself out. He sighed and admitted, "They're right. What was I thinking?"

Everyone was still silent at the exchange. Kim also dried off, and started walking after Colbert and Rochelle to try and make things right.

Outside the pool area of the athletic complex, Rochelle was in the lobby, sobbing lightly. Her face was sitting in her crossed arms, and she was so angry. Luckily for her, there was no risk of an akuma.

 _'How could he? Why would Colbert do this?!'_ Rochelle thought, feeling heartbroken.

Colbert came into the lobby, and then he saw Rochelle crying her eyes out.

"Rochelle!" Colbert said, as he ran over to the bench.

Rochelle raised her head up and spat, "What do you want?"

"I wanted to apologize," Colbert said. "You were right about everything back there."

Rochelle went silent, and continued to listen to Colbert.

"... I really like you, okay?" Colbert said, his face redder than a tomato combined with a red delicious apple. "When Kim put you on the spot like that in class, I didn't know what to think."

"I'm surprised you didn't get akumatized again." Rochelle bluntly said.

Colbert flinched a bit before saying, "I just learned some coping mechanisms to help me keep my emotions in check. I guess that's why I wasn't akumatized."

"I guess that does help." Rochelle said, wiping her eyes.

Colbert sat down next to Rochelle, and gave her a hug from the side before saying, "I'm sorry..."

Rochelle merely gave Colbert another hug, and started lightly sobbing into his chest. Marinette, Adrien, and Alya had followed them, and were watching. Marinette and Alya were delighted to see the development.

Adrien merely looked at them and imagined himself in a similar position, but with himself as Cat Noir and with Ladybug in his arms. However, the image briefly changed to him and Marinette, too. Adrien shook his head a bit, before briefly looking at Marinette.

He noticed the similarities between Ladybug and Marinette - the hair and eyes, to start with.

 _'Marinette being Ladybug?'_ Adrien thought, but then put the idea out of his mind.

As Rochelle managed to calm down, she looked up to Colbert. He was giving her a calm smile that shimmered with the light of affection.

Kim soon arrived, and then he saw the scene. Looking at Rochelle, and seeing how happy she was, he grew a little sad. But he knew that Rochelle had chosen Colbert in the end.

"...I like you, too." Rochelle said.

Colbert smiled with joy, and then he dove in for a kiss. He smashed his lips onto Rochelle's. This elicited a cheer from the crowd.

Kim was sad that he had "lost", but he knew that in the back of his mind, Rochelle's happiness was what mattered. He took a deep breath and then he approached.

Rochelle saw Kim coming and then she froze. Colbert noticed Kim coming, too, and grew ready for another argument.

Kim scratched the back of his neck and then he said, "...Congrats. Both of you."

Rochelle and Colbert gave him questioning looks, but then Kim began to elaborate.

"Rochelle, Colbert, thanks for bringing me back to my senses," Kim said. "You were right; both of you. You shouldn't treat love like a competition. And the happiness of the one you love is what matters the most."

Colbert stood up and then he approached Kim.

"No hard feelings?" Kim asked, reaching his hand out to shake.

"No hard feelings." Colbert said, as he and Kim shook hands.

While Kim's heart hurt, he did win something in the end: he made a new friend.

The next day at school, Rochelle and Colbert were sitting next to each other, holding hands and blushing. When Kim walked in, he and Colbert gave each other a thumbs' up.

Colbert was at peace, as he kissed Rochelle's cheek once again. Everyone in the class either cheered or went 'Aw' at the scene - minus Chloe, ever the self-centered one - and it seemed like a happy ending for Colbert and Rochelle.

However, Marinette was watching, and wondered, _'Will that ever be me and Adrien?'_

Adrien himself, however, wondered, _'Will that ever be me and Mari - no, me and Ladybug?'  
_

* * *

 **And that's a wrap!** _  
_

 **School will be starting up again for me soon, so I'll be swamped with work. I'll still try to write for the story, but otherwise I'll be busy with classes. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, otherwise.**

 **Next time, Rochelle gets a cold, and the timing couldn't be worse! It's hard enough to deal with one akuma at a time, but TWO?! Oh boy...**


	10. Chapter 9

**Okay, time for the next chapter!**

 **Even fish get sick, because our mermaid has a cold, and a really bad one at that. Has anyone wondered what would happen if a Miraculous Holder got sick? But Hawkmoth and his akumas don't stop at anything for anyone, and this time he's giving the team double trouble with TWO akumas at once! Oy vey...  
**

 **The OC's used as akumas are once again those from Liz The Sweet Writer, and I based them off The Black Beauty Sisters from Mermaid Melody.**

 **Songs included: "Yami no Baroque" and "Kuro no Kyousoukyoku" from Mermaid Melody. I thought I'd change up the lyrics a bit in the latter song. The lyrics originally said "that steals the bonds between your pearls," but I thought I'd switch that up a bit.**

* * *

One Thursday morning, a few weeks after Colbert and Rochelle had become an item...

 _ **"AH-CHOO!"**_

A loud, sudden sneeze came from the DeL'eau household. Up in Rochelle's bedroom, she was lying in bed, sleeping later than normal on a school day. Her face was a feverish shade of red, she was breathing heavily, sniffling, sweating, and coughing a bit.

"Ugh... Water..." Rochelle moaned.

Finni came back with a glass of ice water from the kitchen.

"Quick, drink this!" Finni said. She put the rim of the glass to Rochelle's lips, and then Rochelle started to drink instinctively.

"Rochelle, hurry up sweetie," Marissa said, coming into Rochelle's bedroom. "Or you'll be... Oh, mon dieu!"

Seeing her daughter's condition, she immediately ran to the bedside. Marissa put the back of her hand onto Rochelle's forehead, and then said, "Finni, get the thermometer!"

"On it!" Finni shouted, as she flew from the bedroom.

"How are you feeling, dear?" Marissa asked.

"I feel sicker than a dogfish," Rochelle said, hoarsely. "I can't go to school like this."

"The thermometer will be the judge of that, but otherwise I agree." Marissa said.

"Here it is!" Finni said, as she stick the thermometer into Rochelle's mouth. Rochelle held the thermometer under her tongue. After a few seconds, the thermometer beeped.

Marissa took the thermometer out of Rochelle's mouth, and said, "Oh my... 100.4 Fahrenheit (38.0 degrees Celsius). You stay in bed, Rochelle. I'll call the school."

"It's not school I'm worried about." Rochelle muttered.

Marissa knew what Rochelle was talking about.

"I'll be out all day for work. There's cold medicine in the bathroom. Finni, take good care of Rochelle," Marissa said. "And text me if anything happens."

Finni saluted Marissa, before saying, "You can count on me, captain Marissa!"

"Get some rest." Marissa said, as she then left the bedroom.

"Okay, your mom left me in charge and that means the first thing to do is get some medicine and food in you!" Finni said.

She immediately flew into the kitchen, and started searching around for food. After she had woken up in the 21st century, Finni decided to read up on modern practices in any and every field, from medicine to religious and political practices, to sociology, and everything in between. As a kwami, she had to be able to blend in and stay up-to-date on what humans do and do not do, no matter what the nation on Earth. Since she had not been awake in nearly a millennium, Finni was surprised, shocked, and amazed at how far humans have come since she was last awake.

Finni looked into the fridge, and saw the perfect thing to help Rochelle: strawberries. She read a nutrition textbook and learned that a serving of strawberries had more Vitamin C than a whole orange, and Vitamin C was essential for fighting off a cold. Finni immediately flew in, took out the package of strawberries, and then she placed it on the counter. She opened the cabinet, took out a bowl, and then took out the strawberries that were the biggest, juiciest, and looked the freshest. She placed the berries into the bowl, and then she got another glass of water for Rochelle - she had polished off the other one. She placed them on a plate, and then started to fly up to Rochelle's room.

However, she stopped by the bathroom to get the cold medicine. She put the plate down and flew into the medicine cabinet.

"Okay... Antihistamines, no; prescriptions, no; ear drops, no; toothpaste, no... Aha! Cold medicine. For anyone older than twelve... Two tablets every six hours, to be taken with food. Perfect!" Finni said, as she took the proper amount of pills out of the box, and then she brought the water, fruit, and medicine to Rochelle.

"Strawberries..." Rochelle said, as she started eating the berries. In a few minutes, she ate all of them, the stems being the only thing remaining.

"Here's the water and the medicine." Finni said, as she gave Rochelle the water and pills.

Rochelle took a giant gulp of water and then she put the pills in her mouth. She swallowed, and chased them down with more water.

"Now get some sleep." Finni said. Rochelle weakly nodded, before closing her eyes and falling back asleep.

"It's so weird..." Finni said. "I haven't been awake in so long. I don't know how Rochelle would be able to handle an akuma if she were sick. Now that I think about it, how would _any_ Miraculous holder handle a situation if they're sick? I know! I'll ask Tikki!"

Tikki immediately flew out the window to go to the school. She used her intangibility powers to remain invisible so no one would see her.

* * *

At school, Madame Bustier had been informed of Rochelle's cold, and had requested Marinette to give her the homework for the day.

"Poor Rochelle," Tikki said. "Having a cold is never any fun. But what if an akuma attacks? She wouldn't be able to deal with it."

"Having a cold while fighting an akuma has never crossed my mind. Cat Noir's feather allergies are one thing, but actually being sick?" Marinette said, while talking to Tikki. "Has that ever happened?"

"All of the previous Ladybugs were at higher risk for getting sick because medicine wasn't as advanced back then. They were extra careful to remain at peak health at all times. Back in Ancient Egypt, a cold was a death sentence. But even if a cold is a minor thing these days, it can still be detrimental to her work as Siren." Tikki said.

"Translation: you don't know because none of the Ladybugs of the past have gotten sick." Marinette said, shaking her head.

"Pretty much," Tikki said. "But no one can do their best at _anything_ if they have a cold."

Adrien was at his locker nearby, asking Plagg the same thing.

After Rochelle had figured out he was Cat Noir, she had become one of his greatest confidants and friends. However, they made sure to talk whenever it was only the two of them. Otherwise, Rochelle would only hang out with Marinette and Alya.

Needless to say, like the kind boy he was, he was also worried about Rochelle and how she would be able to deal with an akuma should something happen.

"No Cat Noir has ever gotten sick in the past," Plagg said, eating his camembert again. "Your allergies to feathers are one thing, but a Miraculous holder having an actual sickness is unheard of."

"So, Miraculous holders are immune to both getting akumatized, _and_ getting sick?" Adrien said, as he got his books out of his locker.

"They're immune to getting _akumatized_ , but I don't know about getting sick." Plagg said.

"But no one can really do anything when they're sick, so Rochelle should probably sit out any fights until she's better." Adrien said.

"Agreed." Plagg said.

Finni, still intangible, was around the school, and she spotted Marinette. She flew through the walls, and then floated into Marinette's bag.

"Tikki!" Finni whispered, surprising Tikki.

"F-Finni?! What are you doing here?!" Tikki asked.

"I thought I'd ask for some advice," Finni said. "I'm sure you guys know Rochelle has a cold."

Marinette nodded, and then said, "None of the previous Ladybugs have gotten sick, so I don't know what I can tell you."

Finni's face fell, but she then said, "It's fine. I'll just go back to Rochelle and try to keep her from transforming."

"Okay." Marinette said.

Finni then reactivated her intangibility powers and then she flew away to go back to Rochelle's house.

* * *

Meanwhile, the 4th Stars were in the middle of a rehearsal at the Palais Garnier. But things were not all sunshine and rainbows. In fact...

"Why is it that I always have to pair up with Rain whenever we have a pair routine?!" Sunny shouted, as she had gone over the routine for their next show.

"And it's always me and Violet with these pair routines, too! It's getting stale." Pinky said, also concerned with the pair routines.

"But we've always done it this way," Rain said, protesting. "Sun and rain are opposites that balance one another out. Sunny, your exuberance balances out my reserved nature."

"But it's getting old," Pinky complained. "Can't Sunny and I pair up for a routine for once? Pink and purple is a cliche combination! Pink _can_ be treated as a neutral color!"

"Pinky, we can't just go and change the routine like this out of nowhere!" Violet said.

"Do you _KNOW_ what the fans are saying?!" Sunny said, as she pulled up a comments feed on their website. "Some of them are complaining that our routines are getting boring because our pair-ups are always the same. There are four of us, so we have more combinations available instead of just pink-purple, and yellow-blue. What about yellow and purple, or pink and blue?"

"Are you saying you're sick of being paired up with me for routines?!" Rain asked, affronted.

"No, I'm saying that I'm sick of the status quo and we need to change!" Sunny said.

"I concur," Pinky said. "Our routines are the same every time. Same dance moves, same pair combinations. We need to switch it up!"

Violet, for her part, said, "But it's too late to make any changes to the routine!"

"I'm tired of having to play yin-yang with Rain!" Sunny said.

"And I want my colors to be explored with other combinations!" Pinky said.

"Are you _that_ unsatisfied with being my partner in routines?" Violet asked Pinky.

"Not unsatisfied, just bored." Pinky said.

"You're saying I'm _BORING?!_ " Violet asked.

"But you're the sun, Sunny! I need you to help balance me out! It wouldn't be right..." Rain began, but...

"This is my final offer: it's me and Pinky for our next routine, or this concert is OFF!" Sunny said, as she and Pinky walked out of the dressing room

Violet and Rain gave each other hugs, and they began crying. They were upset that their sisters were unsatisfied with the status quo. Violet loved partnering up with Pinky in dance routines, and Rain found Sunny's personality to be a good contrast in routines, too. But now that Pinky and Sunny were unhappy with their usual routines, they were unsure how to proceed.

Sensing their distress, a window opened up in a hideout in Paris. Hawkmoth had sensed their sadness and confusion.

"Two sisters, feeling unappreciated. Feeling like they had been taken for granted. Perfect for disaster!" Hawkmoth said, as he opened his hand.

This time, rather than one butterfly, _two_ butterflies landed in his hand.

He put his other hand over them, and infused the two butterflies with black energy. He opened his hand up and then released the two akumas.

"Fly away. Help these two girls get what they want!" Hawkmoth declared, as the two butterflies flew out the window.

As Rain and Violet were cuddling and sobbing, the akumas flew into their music note necklaces. Rain's was a treble clef and Violet's was a bass clef.

Once Hawkmoth made telepathic contact, he started to speak to the two of them.

 _"Twin Notes, Élevée and Faible, I am Hawkmoth. I will help you show your sisters your viewpoint, as long as I get the Miraculous of Ladybug and Cat Noir in return."_ Hawkmoth said.

"Yes, sir." Violet and Rain said collectively, as they then changed in a cloud of blackish-purple fluid.

When they emerged, their outfits were pure black versions of their stage costumes, with their primary colors as accents. There were even music notes that were all craggy and broken, as if the music being played was bad. Their skin had turned pure white, and their hair was pure black, and styled in the same shape as their necklaces.

Rain had turned into Élevée while Violet had become Faible.

They each had a microphone in their signature colors, and they they smirked evilly. They tapped their mikes together like they were sharing a toast, and they then smirked at one another, evilly thinking about what to do with their sisters.

As they stood up, they sashayed out of the dressing room to find Sunny and Pinky.

The other girls were in another part of the building, tuning up their instruments and talking.

"I wish we hadn't argued with them," Pinky said, putting down her electric violin after tuning it up. "It wasn't fair of us to do that. Maybe we can try and talk things over?"

"Good idea, Pinky," Sunny said, as she stopped tuning her synth and stepped away from it. "Let's go find the girls."

"No need," Élevée said, as she and Faible appeared in the doorway. They then walked in as if they owned the place. "Since music _is_ a universal language, shall we _sing_ to communicate?"

The twins then held up their microphones and began to breathe.

Seeing that their sisters had become akumas, Pinky and Sunny screamed and ran out of the room, but as soon as Twin Notes sang one note each simultaneously - Élevée sang a high note, and Faible sang a low note - a sonic wave appeared from the microphones.

The sonic waves caused the instruments to crack and break in all sorts of places. Literally a nanosecond later, they turned into piles of splinters, strings, wires, etc.

Marinette had asked her parents if she could take some of the leftover desserts to Rochelle's place. They gladly gave her some leftover macarons, croissants, and blueberry danish.

"That's very sweet of you to give Rochelle some leftover food." Tikki said.

"I just hope she gets better soon." Marinette said.

However, a familiar limousine soon pulled up and stopped. Recognizing it as Adrien's limousine, Marinette froze up and started blushing heavily.

The backseat door opened, and out stepped Adrien.

"Hi, Marinette," Adrien said. "Are you going to visit Rochelle, too?"

"I... I-I-I... Y-Yes, I am." Marinette said, managing to utter something coherent.

"Since I don't know her address, and you two are close, I thought maybe you could help me," Adrien said, as he gestured to the car. "Hop in."

Marinette was squealing with delight on the inside. She gave Adrien a big, happy smile.

"I... Love I - Er, I mean, I'd love to help!" Marinette said, before giving Adrien another smile to cover up her fumble.

It looked like Marinette was trying too hard, but Adrien paid no attention to it. Marinette climbed into the backseat with Adrien, and then the door shut. The limo drove off to Rochelle's house.

"So what do you have there?" Adrien asked, as he leaned closer to Marinette's box. The proximity caused Marinette's heart to race like a cheetah in a sprint.

"D-D-Disa - ER, desserts! Leftovers from the bakery," Marinette said, managing to stay calm somehow. "Macarons, croissants, and blueberry danish. All three of them are Rochelle's favorites."

"You're a great friend to Rochelle, Marinette," Adrien said. "And I hope Rochelle recovers soon."

"Me, too..." Marinette said.

 _'We can't have her out of commission during an akuma attack.'_ Both simultaneously thought. Neither knew that the other was thinking the exact same thing.

However, as they started to drive by Palais Garnier, the sonic waves caused by Twin Notes were making the windows and glass in the buildings to shatter. Immediately after, the waves also blasted Pinky and Sunny out of the building.

Seeing the two girls being blasted in front of them, the gorilla tried to swerve to miss them. But the sonic waves also hit the limousine, and caused it to flip over a few times. While they were still in their seat belts, Marinette wound up falling into Adrien's chest, and he hung onto her as the limo tumbled.

Once the sonic waves had ceased, the limousine had once again resumed an upright position. However, it was not without many a dent and broken window, and its right side and doors had hit the side of a building. The airbags were activated, pressing Marinette and Adrien even closer.

 _'OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! Adrien's HUGGING ME! What do I do?! What do I do?! What do I do?!'_ Marinette thought, more scared about being the arms of her crush than scared about being in a car that had flipped over several times.

Adrien also noticed how comfortable and safe hugging Marinette felt. It was almost as if he were hugging Ladybug in a similar position. Only Marinette was there, not Ladybug.

However, he snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Plagg moving around in his jacket. Marinette wanted to stay in that position for a moment longer, but then she felt Tikki stumbling about in her purse.

The two teens broke their embrace when they saw Twin Notes emerge from the building. They were laughing maniacally as they were watching Pinky and Sunny trembling in fear.

 _'Oh, crap! Did I just jinx it?!'_ Both Marinette and Adrien thought, thinking they had jinxed an akuma. Once again, neither one knew the other was thinking the exact same thing.

"Marinette," Adrien said. "Let's get out of the limo and get to cover!"

"Right!" Marinette said, mentally switching into "Ladybug Mode."

Once the airbags deflated, Marinette and Adrien got out of the car before running away.

However, the singing coming from Twin Notes was hurting their ears. It was not the fact that their singing was bad, it was just loud and evil.

They unconsciously split up, each going in different directions to find hiding spots.

Adrien ran down into the subway and he ducked between a wall and a stationary train.

Meanwhile, Marinette also ran downstairs into the subway, but she stopped at the bottom of the stairs and then ducked behind a wall and an empty garbage pail.

"Looks like Hawkmoth is at it again, and with _two_ akumas at once this time! Just when Rochelle's sick, too!" Marinette said, complaining. She let Tikki out of her purse, and her kwami flew up to eye level with Marinette.

"You and Cat Noir have been able to handle akumas without Rochelle in the past, so this shouldn't be any different. Just treat this like you did with Stoneheart." Tikki said.

"Right." Marinette said.

 _"Tikki, Spots On!"_ Marinette shouted, as she rubbed her earrings to activate her Miraculous.

Tikki flew inside, the earrings turned red with five black spots, and a power surged through them.

Marinette put her hands to her face, and formed a red mask with black spots. She formed her red and black-spotted body suit, her magic yo-yo appeared on her waist, and then she posed.

Ladybug ran up the stairs out of the subway to go fight the two akumas.

Adrien, meanwhile, was letting Plagg eat his camembert.

"It's hard enough dealing with _one_ akuma, but _two_? Hawkmoth certainly likes keeping himself busy," Adrien said, before grabbing Plagg. "Enough eating!"

 _"Plagg, Claws Out!"_ Adrien shouted, pumping a fist, and his ring turned black.

Plagg flew into the ring. Adrien swiped a finger across his face to form a black mask, and his eyes turned more cat-like. He formed his cat ear-clips on his head, his hair grew longer and wilder, and he formed his black, skin-tight, leather body suit. He had matching gloves with cat-like claws on his hands. He formed a belt that was meant to look like a tail, and then he made a cat-like pose.

Cat Noir got down an all fours and then he ran up the stairs out of the subway.

Ladybug herself had used her yo-yo to create a shield to guard Sunny and Pinky from Élevée and Faible's singing. Once the two took a break to breathe, Ladybug turned to Pinky and Sunny and said, "Get to cover!"

Pinky and Sunny immediately nodded and ran off to go and hide somewhere.

Cat Noir arrived on the scene just in time, and he said, "Are your ears ringing or is it just me?"

"No, mine hurt a bit, too." Ladybug said, but she was still focused on the task at hand. The two superheroes were looking at Twin Notes.

"Hey, where's Siren?" Cat Noir asked aloud. He knew the answer, but decided to ask anyway to make sure his secret would not get out.

"I, er, don't know. She should get here soon!" Ladybug said, as she took out her yo-yo while Cat Noir took out his baton.

Élevée and Faible once again conjured up their microphones.

Nearby, Finni had seen what had happened with Violet and Rain. After the first bit of commotion started, she found a place to hide, and she was watching the action. Seeing that there were two akumas, she immediately started to make haste to go to Rochelle.

 _'I gotta get back to safety!'_ Finni thought, although she knew that telling Rochelle there was an akuma attack going on was a bad idea.

"So, two singers," Cat Noir said. "It's not like a little loud music is going to stop us."

"Don't be so sure," Élevée said, as music started to play. "There are _plenty_ of people who can't handle loud sounds."

Faible said, "Ever heard of sensory overload?"

Ladybug immediately used her yo-yo and tried to tie up the two singers, but they merely sidestepped her yo-yo. Élevée giggled before saying, "Shall we blow you away with our song?"

 _"Voice in the dark! The ~folia~ of darkness!"_ The girls sang, and then the dark energy in their music started to give Ladybug and Cat Noir major migraines. _"That steals for us your Miraculous!"_

The two superheroes covered their ears and tried to bear the energy, but it was useless. Their headaches were getting worse with each note and word.

 _"Voice in the dark! Now let's begin, a magnificently beautiful show! Voice in the dark, our song is brought forth with the echo of the power of darkness!"_ Twin Notes sang, while dancing a choreographed routine.

Ladybug Cat Noir tried to break through, and they ran at Twin Notes. However, the music's energy was so powerful and dark due to the two akumas, that there was a barrier between the two akumas and the two superheroes. The sound wave that was generated from the music blasted them back and Cat Noir and Ladybug were then on the ground.

 _"Peace is nothing more than an illusion falsely reflected off the surface of a mirror,"_ Twin Notes sang, as the energy started to drain Ladybug and Cat Noir's own physical energy. _"A string made of waves entwines around one another and becomes a wave."_

Ladybug had managed to stand up, albeit with some difficulty. She held out her hand to Cat Noir, who took it and she helped him stand up. However, he also had a hard time standing up - he was weakened by the dark song, too.

 _"The demonic energies in our hearts will become a prank-filled vigor. Surely it would bewilder those who are weaker than us."_ Twin Notes sang, as they locked arms and kept singing.

However, Ladybug and Cat Noir refused to let their physical pain and weakness get in the way of fighting. They took up a battle stance, with Ladybug spinning her yo-yo around. Cat Noir did the same with his baton. The two heroes charged at the twins.

Twin Notes, sadly, smirked again and they kept going.

 _"Voice in the dark! A dark wave gently plays this melody we sing. Voice in the dark! It stops all love and becomes a chain with no shape!"_ Élevée and Faible sang, as they kept building up their dark energy.

The two teen heroes kept resisting the dark energies in the music, but they were still getting pretty drained from the music.

"Cats have sensitive hearing! Now I know what they meant by sensory overload!" Cat Noir complained.

"No time to go to the ear doctor, Cat!" Ladybug said, now stopping in her tracks.

 _"The eddy's about you in this refrain. And steals for us, your Miraculous!"_ Twin Notes sang.

Cat Noir and Ladybug were soon on their knees, breathing heavily from fatigue.

* * *

Finni had somehow or another gotten back to Rochelle's house in one piece. Rochelle was beginning to stir, and Finni was trying her best not to panic.

"Urgh... Finni, what's going on?" Rochelle asked, still groggy and hoarse.

"Oh, um, nothing." Finni said, albeit she was having a hard time staying calm.

Rochelle, sick as she was, immediately knew something was up and said, "There's an akuma attack happening right now, isn't there?"

"Well, yes, and there's _two of them_ this time, but..." Finni began.

" _TWO akumas_ _?!_ No 'buts', Finni, we have to do this. Finni, gills..." Rochelle said, getting out of bed. However, she was still off-balance due to her fever, and once again sat on the bed.

"Ro-chelle!" Finni said, sternly. "Stop right there. Listen, I understand that fighting off akumas is important. But in your condition, you'll just be a liability to Ladybug and Cat Noir."

"But if they're dealing with _two_ , it's all the more reason for me to help," Rochelle said, as she stood up and tried to walk. "They may have dealt with akumas by themselves in the past, but I'm still stepping in, cold or no cold."

"Not in your current state, you're not! You need to recover from this fever. I _won't_ let you fight!" Finni firmly stated.

"And _I_ won't let you _keep me_ from fighting," Rochelle said, still congested. "It's not like a cold causes my powers to glitch, does it?"

"Well, no..." Finni began. "I actually have no clue what a cold causes to your powers! But Tikki and Plagg don't know what happens when a Miraculous holder gets a cold, either! And I do NOT want you finding out! It could be dangerous."

"Leaving Ladybug and Cat Noir out there alone with _two_ _akumas at once_ is dangerous!" Rochelle said, stubbornly. She rubbed the stone on her choker. _"Finni, Gills On!"_

Finni tried to resist the pull from the Miraculous, but it was useless. She unwillingly entered the stone, and the transformation activated.

Rochelle's body was given a bleu de France body suit that had scales sparkling in periwinkle with hints of sea foam green in the light. Her face was given a mask in a matching scheme; her chest was given a periwinkle-sea foam green seashell bra and her hair was put up in a braid, fastened with a matching scallop shell. Her feet were given flats. Her ankles were given loose ruffled fabric that were also blue de France with the periwinkle sparkle affect; same with her wrists, waist and hips. On her waist was a scallop-shell in the same color scheme, with a string. She posed, albeit her stance was a bit weak due to her cold.

Despite her physical weakness, Siren leaped out of the window of her room, being careful with her landing. She stood up, still wobbly, and began to follow the sight of the commotion to get to the battle.

Back with Ladybug and Cat Noir, they were physically drained from the song, on their knees, and breathing heavily.

"I guess an encore is unnecessary, my sister," Faible said. "Shall we take their Miraculous?"

"We shall, indeed." Élevée said, as the two singers started to approach Ladybug and Cat Noir.

"We... Won't... Give up..." Ladybug said, as she and Cat Noir tried to stand up.

However, Ladybug was exhausted, and then she fell back. Cat Noir caught her, though.

"Ladybug, I know you're drained. I am, too, but we can't stop!" Cat Noir thought. _'Especially with Siren sitting this one out.'_

"And to think, only one song and now you're out for the count," Faible said. "I seriously expected better from you two."

"We're not done here!" Ladybug said, as she and Cat Noir got into another fighting stance.

Just as Faible and Élevée were about to sing again, a water blast came out of nowhere and shot them back against a nearby wall.

Cat Noir and Ladybug turned around to see that Siren had come onto the scene.

"Siren!" Ladybug said, as she ran over to her friend. Siren pitched backward a bit, but Ladybug caught her.

"Ladybug... *COUGH COUGH* Are you okay?" Siren said, as she began coughing heavily from her cold.

" _I_ should be asking _you_ that," Ladybug whispered to Siren. "You shouldn't be out here fighting like this! You're sick!"

"One akuma is hard enough to deal with," Siren insisted. "But two at once is overkill. You need my help."

Cat Noir decided that while Twin Notes were dazed, that he would buy some time.

 _"Cataclysm!"_ Cat Noir shouted, as he activated his superpower. He jumped up and hit some of the external architecture from above, causing it to crumble and fall all over Twin Notes.

However, Cat Noir had noticed what was going on with Siren and Ladybug, and then he ran over to the girls. He put his hand on Siren's forehead, and felt her temperature was high.

"Geez, you're hotter than a sunfish," Cat Noir said. "What are you doing here if you're feeling this lousy?"

"Trying to help." Siren said, as she stood up and tried to get into a battle stance. However, she got dizzy and started to stumble a bit.

"You're in no condition to fight!" Ladybug said, as she caught Siren. She then took out her yo-yo. "Cat Noir, we have to get Siren to safety!"

"Roger that!" Cat Noir said.

He took Siren into one of his arms and used his baton to extend themselves to the roof, meanwhile Ladybug used her yo-yo to pull herself up to the same roof. Cat Noir gently put Siren down.

"Siren, you gotta go home. You're only going to get worse if you keep this up!" Ladybug insisted.

"We can handle this," Cat Noir said, agreeing with Ladybug. "You need to focus on getting better."

Just then, Twin Notes rose up to the roof, and they were angry.

"So, you think you could _drown us out_?!" Élevée said, as she and Faible conjured up their microphones again. "Not if we have anything to say about it! Faible!"

"On it." Faible said, as music started to play again.

Cat Noir and Ladybug cringed, while Siren continued her labored breathing.

 _"A baroque that shuts away light becomes a beautiful noise!"_ Twin Notes sang together. _"The whisper of our dark trap cradles you. Sleep forever!"_

The dark magic-infused song was even stronger than the last one. Cat Noir and Ladybug covered their ears. They really tried their best not to scream from the pain that Twin Notes were causing them.

 _"Slowly waking up are the shadows of our hearts. The roses of the deep sea become decorations, forcing pearls to freeze over."_ Twin Notes sang.

Siren herself was feeling even worse from the song. She tried her best, but she was so weak from her cold that she was having a coughing fit while trying to breathe at the same time.

 _"Now, together with all of you, your wishes become one. We devote ourselves to the great darkness."_ Twin Notes sang, as they locked arms and taunted the heroes through their music.

Siren was struggling to stand, but she once again sneezed and fell on her rear end. She covered her ears from the music.

 _"The heart-stealing baroque embraces a wave of negative energy. The world you believed in vanishes in an instant without a sound!"_ Twin Notes sang.

Ladybug and Cat Noir were trying their best to bear the music while trying to find an opening to attack. But the music was so powerful that they were suffering from sensory overload, just like Faible had said.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take!" Cat Noir shouted.

Siren had fallen limp to her side, coughing heavily and unable to bear the song.

Ladybug noticed Siren's state and soon shouted, "Get away from here, Siren!"

Siren immediately stood up and tried to run across the rooftops. She kept going, but was still stumbling and tripping, but she pushed through her physical state and jumped across another roof.

However, the lack of energy and her sickness began to get to her. She stopped at the edge of one roof, which was too far from the river. Siren continued to breathe with obvious difficulty, and she soon pitched forward and fell off the edge, losing consciousness.

* * *

When Siren awoke, she found herself in an unknown house, lying on a couch in what appeared to be the common area. She saw that she had a blanket on top of her, an icepack on her forehead, and was lying against a very fluffy pillow.

"Where am I?" Siren asked aloud.

Just then, the door to the kitchen opened, and in walked Colbert. He had a tray in his hand. It had a bowl of hot vegetable-noodle soup, an apple, some water, and a few cold medicine pills.

 _'Colbert?! I'm at Colbert's house?! But how did I get here?!'_ Siren thought, in complete shock at this turn of events.

"Good, you're awake, Siren," Colbert said. "I was so worried. And surprised."

"Um..." Siren said, not sure how to talk to her boyfriend when she was not Rochelle.

"I got you some food and medicine. I know you don't eat fish, so I avoided seafood. I'm happy to meet you in person, Siren," Colbert said, as he began to ramble a bit. "I'm actually a big fan."

"How did I...?" Siren began.

"Oh, that," Colbert began. "Well..."

 _~Flashback - Two Hours Ago - Narrated By Colbert~_

 _Colbert was walking down the street aimlessly, unaware of the current akuma attack that was happening._

 _'See, what happened was that I was walking down the street to go to the arcade to play some games.'_

 _However, Colbert stopped in his tracks when he noticed something up above. He looked up and saw Siren had stopped on the roof and was swaying._

 _'Then, I saw you were on the roof above me. I noticed something was wrong, since you didn't seem like you were on your game.'_

 _Siren then pitched forward and fell face first off the roof. Colbert panicked and then he immediately caught her in both of his arms._

 _'Good thing I caught you when you fell. You could've been seriously hurt.'_

 _Colbert noticed her labored breathing and her reddened face. He put his hand to her forehead and then his face blanched. He put Siren on his back and started to turn around and walk home._

 _'Once I caught you, I noticed you were sick, so I carried you back home.'_

 _Colbert entered the common area and put Siren on the sofa. He took out a pillow, a blanket, and an ice pack, and situated Siren properly._

 _~End of Flashback~_

"...Thus your current situation." Colbert explained.

"Thank you so much," Siren said, red in the face, but it was not the fever this time. "You're right, I could've been hurt."

"Why were you out there when you were sick?" Colbert asked, as he put the tray down - Siren took it and balanced it on her lap.

"We had two akumas to deal with today," Siren said, as she began eating the soup and the apple. "I was too stubborn to stay in bed."

"That just means you know for next time." Colbert said with a shrug.

"One akuma is enough of a nuisance, but two is just too much!" Siren insisted. "I had to step in."

"You can't push yourself when you're ill like this," Colbert said. "That's reckless."

Siren merely kept eating as she understood what Colbert was saying. She felt so awkward being in her boyfriend's house without him knowing the mermaid on the sofa was his girlfriend.

As she quietly ate, Colbert thought, _'She reminds me so much of Rochelle. It's like she's actually here in the room with me.'_

Siren had finished eating and then she gave Colbert the tray.

"Thank you so much. It was delicious." Siren said with a smile.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Colbert said, as he took the tray to go back into the kitchen.

Siren smiled as she watched her boyfriend leave.

 _'Rochelle, I can't hold this transformation much longer! You gotta get out of here!'_ Finni said.

 _'WHAT? HOW? I didn't use my Sea Creature Call!'_ Siren thought to Finni.

 _'It must be a glitch in the Miraculous or something due to your cold! You still need to get out of here!'_ Finni said.

Siren tried to stand up, but she got dizzy and fell back onto the sofa.

As Colbert walked back into the room, a flash of light enveloped Siren. Once the light died down, Rochelle was in Siren's place. He was in quite the shock. It turned out that his girlfriend was a superhero, and he had no idea.

"Ugh..." Rochelle said, as Finni hid in her hair. "Now what? How am I going to get out of here without Colbert spotting me?"

"How indeed!" Colbert said, getting Rochelle's attention.

She turned around and saw her boyfriend staring down at her, his arms crossed, and looking quite upset.

"C-Colbert..." Rochelle said.

"Rochelle...You trust me, right?" Colbert said, trying not to be angry with Rochelle.

"Yes..." Rochelle replied, but not without coughing.

"And I trust you, too," Colbert said. "Regardless, why didn't you tell me?"

"Sorry, but you know the rules of superheroes." Rochelle said, albeit a bit weakly.

"No argument there," Colbert said. "It's not that big a surprise to me, though. You don't act any different as either Siren or Rochelle. I guess that's why I'm such a big fan of you."

"...Promise to keep this a secret?" Rochelle asked, blushing a bit.

"I will. But back to bed with you, sweetheart." Colbert said, as he laid Rochelle back down on the sofa.

Rochelle fell back asleep, and started to immediately start sleeping. Colbert stroked her cheek with his hand and then kissed her other cheek. He was very tempted to kiss her lips instead, but he did not want to get her cold.

 _'She's so red... I just hope she can recover before those akumas do any more damage.'_ Colbert thought, as he looked out the window.

* * *

The next day at school, Rochelle was well enough to go to school. From the news reports and Alya's blog, it was clear that Ladybug and Cat Noir _were_ capable of taking down Twin Notes on their own.

"So, how did you guys manage to deal with the double akuma?" Rochelle asked Marinette.

"Well..." Marinette began.

 _~Flashback - Narrated By Marinette~_

 _'Cat Noir and I were down, and the music was giving us even worse migraines than before. We were worried that we would lose our Miraculous.'_

 _"Let's celebrate the time where everything will end as it slowly heads this way. Praise and icy smile, and pearls turn to ash," Twin Notes sang together. "Ah, my friends. If you have this light of hopes, then that's just an homage to the despair oozing out of it."_

 _"AAGGH!" Cat Noir and Ladybug shouted in pain. Cat Noir managed to notice that his ring had lost two pads. He was running out of time._

 _'I knew Cat Noir was going to switch back if we didn't do something.'_

 _"A baroque that shuts away light becomes a beautiful noise. The whisper of our dark trap cradles you! Sleep forever! A paradise sealed away..." Twin Notes sang._

 _Ladybug stood up and began trying to breathe, so she could use her Lucky Charm._

 _'I managed to stand up and look around for an opening to use my Lucky Charm. While the instrumental verse was going on...'_

 _"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug shouted, shooting her yo-yo in the air and out of the light and into her hands landed..._

 _"Huh? A harp? How is this going to help?" Ladybug asked._

 _'While I was thinking, Twin Notes began singing again.'_

 _"Now, together with all of you, your wishes become one. We devote ourselves to the great darkness!" Twin Notes sang, as the song was reaching the end._

 _"Come on, Ladybug! Do you know how to play harp?" Cat Noir asked, as he saw that he was down another pad._

 _"I'm thinking!" Ladybug said._

 _"In a completely changed world, you can understand how fragile fate is. Before the hopeless sadness crushes your heart. A baroque that shuts away becomes a beautiful noise! Together with us, head towards the future whispered of in our dark trap..."_ _Twin Notes sang, finishing the song._

 _'We were exhausted, but we weren't about to give in. So, I stood behind the harp and started to strum it.'_

 _As Ladybug plucked the strings and started to strum the harp, the calm, beautiful music started to relax the two twin villains. Seeing what the plan was, Cat Noir snatched the necklaces from the twins and then he crushed them with his foot._

 _"Take over!" Ladybug said, as he and Cat Noir switched off. He started to play, too, and for some reason, he actually did a good job._

 _"No more evildoing for you, little akumas." Ladybug said, as she smashed the two necklaces._

 _She swung her yo-yo everywhere to catch both akumas._

 _"Gotcha!" Ladybug said, as she caught both akumas at once. She then purified and released them. "Bye-bye, little butterflies. Miraculous Ladybug!"_

 _With Cat Noir's help, she threw the harp into the air and then like always, everything was reset._

 _Twin Notes turned back into Rain and Violet, and like always, they had no idea what happened. Sunny and Pinky ran over to their sisters and then they engaged in a group hug._

 _"Pound It!" The two teen heroes said._

 _"Oh man! I gotta go! Better might like a cheetah and run for it." Cat Noir said, as he immediately took off to hide and change back._

 _~End of Flashback~_

"...So you guys _didn't_ need my help." Rochelle said, feeling depressed.

"It wasn't our first time dealing with more than one akuma." Tikki said.

"Not helping, Tikki." Finni said.

"I shouldn't have been so stubborn and insisted on helping. I'm sorry, Finni," Rochelle said. "Now I just know not to do this again."

"You'll always be part of the team, Rochelle." Marinette said.

"Thanks." Rochelle said, as she and Marinette shared a hug.

"Hey, Rochelle!" Colbert said, as he approached the girls. "Feeling better?"

"Much better, thanks." Rochelle said, as she stood up and spoke to her boyfriend.

"I'm glad my little mermaid has gotten over her sea sickness." Colbert joked.

Rochelle giggled at this, and then she winked at Marinette. Marinette then clued in that Colbert had found out Rochelle's secret.

Rochelle locked arms with Colbert, and then they started walking to class. Rochelle gave Colbert a kiss on the cheek, and he blushed and kissed her back.

 _'I wish I could have told Colbert face-to-face, but I guess everything works out for a reason. I wonder what else will be in store for me.'_ Rochelle thought, as she looked up to the sky to see the sun shining down on them.

* * *

 **I hope you liked this chapter. Has anyone else wondered what would it be like for Ladybug and Cat Noir to deal with TWO akumas at once? I certainly was curious.**

 **Coming up, when circumstances prevent Marinette transforming into Ladybug, it's a Cat Noir-Marinette team up again. Let's just hope things go a little more smoothly this time.**

 **I'm asking my readers for ideas for a situation for Marinette to not be able to transform into Ladybug. I was thinking that she would be the designer and model in an Agreste fashion show (by Gabriel's request), and since security is super tight (security cameras, too many people around, etc.), she can't transform. But I'm open to ideas from anyone!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey, all! Sorry this took so long. I got so caught up with my classes and writing other romance one-shots and other stories for this fan base that I lost track (and some motivation) of this story in particular.**

 **So, in this chapter, Marinette and Cat Noir have to work together again! Marinette is participating in a fashion design competition, but the security is so tight, including cameras and guards, that Marinette can't transform! What is she going to do?!**

* * *

The moon and stars were shining over the Paris skyline. The trio of Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Siren were patrolling around the city, keeping an eye out for any mischief that Hawkmoth would cook up.

Ladybug took the eastern side of Paris while Cat Noir was prowling around the western part of Paris. Siren, as always, was looking for signs of trouble from the Seine. For the moment, all was quiet.

As Siren was swimming around, nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the river.

Siren felt her shell vibrating and then picked it up. Ladybug had given her a call.

"What's up, Ladybug?" Siren asked.

"All clear on my end. What about you, kitty?" Ladybug asked. Cat Noir's face popped up and the screen was split.

"No sign of trouble over here, either. Siren?" Cat Noir said, before asking their resident mermaid.

"Water's about as quiet as it can get over here," Siren said, shaking her head. "But before we wrap things up, I need to talk to you guys face-to-face. It's important."

The threesome had rendezvous under the bridge. Siren had informed her team that she would not be able to fight off any akumas for a while.

"So, you're going to be out of town starting on Wednesday?" Ladybug asked.

"More like out of France," Siren explained. "I have to go to America for a family obligation. I'll be gone for about a week."

"It won't be the same without you, Siren," Cat Noir said, giving their mermaid a sad shake of the head. "Especially since Hawkmoth's akumas are getting harder and harder. But we'll make sure to keep things under control while you're gone."

"Thanks. I'll stay up to date through the Ladyblog just in case," Siren said, nodding to her team. "I'm confident you'll be okay, but at the same time, I'm a little angry that I can't help."

"I don't blame you," Cat Noir said. "You must have felt useless when you got sick that one time."

Siren nodded, and said, "I did feel useless. When you guys went and took down those two akumas while I had a cold, it made me feel and think, "What's so special about me? What do I bring to the table? Am I even needed?" And if you guys do somehow find a way to fight underwater, that will make me feel even worse."

"You'll always be important to the team, Siren," Ladybug said. "Don't forget that."

"Thank you," Siren said, as she then checked the time on her shell's clock. "I think we should call it a night."

"Probably a good idea," Cat Noir said. "No signs of trouble, so I think I can take a catnap."

Siren and Ladybug merely let out a groan. Cat's puns were getting more and more annoying.

"See you soon." Siren said. She then started swimming upriver to get closer to her house.

* * *

The following Wednesday afternoon, Rochelle was absent from school. She had informed her friends ahead of time that she had to go back to New Orleans for the week to attend the memorial service of Achille DeL'eau, her father.

Needless to say, everyone was expecting Chloé to have a field day tormenting since Rochelle was not around to put her in her place. But for some reason, she was quiet.

Sabrina had seen this change in the blonde ever since Lady Laryngitis. Everyone in the classroom noticed it, too.

Without Chloé's crap being spewed around, everyone could relax. This also gave Marinette time to work on her design for a competition that was coming up that weekend. Dresses were the subject, but the dress's design and occasion – wedding, cocktail, formal, etc. – was to the discretion of the competitors. In other words, it had to be a dress, but the contestants were given artistic license for the remaining details.

"Hey, Alya," Adrien said, approaching her and Marinette's shared bench. "What's Marinette up to?"

Adrien had wanted to talk to Marinette about the fashion design competition. Since he knew it was important to her, he wanted to inform her that he was rooting for her. Adrien also hoped that his father would once again recognize his classmate's abilities.

"Shh!" Alya hushed, putting a finger to her lips. "Don't interrupt. Marinette's working on her designs for her entry. She's in the zone, so don't break her concentration."

Adrien nodded and looked over Marinette's sketches from a distance. Needless to say, he was impressed yet again by her talent and skills. Seeing the variety of dresses and how much skill they would require was a marvel to him. However, as he tried to lean closer to get a better look and possibly speak to Marinette, she merely waved him away.

Adrien, surprised that Marinette would brush him off instead of stammering like always, smiled and merely went back to his seat.

Marinette was on a roll. It was full steam ahead for her. She had several dresses in her sketchbook, all in different styles to many different occasions.

The reason she had so many designs was because this was yet another competition that was being judged by Gabriel Agreste. This meant two things for Marinette. One: she had another chance to get recognized by her. Two: if Adrien was in attendance, she wanted to make sure she would be able to talk to him clearly without losing focus on the competition.

Adrien sat in his usual spot next to Nino, and he turned around to keep watching the pigtailed girl working in her sketchbook.

He turned to his best friend and cupped a hand over his mouth.

"I think her chances of taking first prize are pretty good," Adrien whispered to Nino. "Those designs are pro-level."

"Spoken like the son of the world's top fashion designer. You know your stuff." Nino whispered back.

Adrien nodded in response and then said, "Marinette is great at what she does. I have no doubt that the dress will be really well-made, no matter what she decides to do."

Adrien smiled as he turned back to watch Marinette at work. Immediately, Adrien could have sworn he saw Ladybug's mask on her face for a moment.

 _'Yikes, ever since that stupid swim competition between Colbert and Kim, I keep seeing parallels between Ladybug and Marinette…'_ Adrien thought. _'What's wrong with me?'_

Since Marinette absolutely failed to notice Adrien was talking to her, she was able to churn out many concepts in her sketchbook without stumbling.

 _'Okay… So, a bracelet petal sleeve? No, for this design, it needs something a little more dynamic…'_ Marinette thought, as she was wondering about another design she was working on.

The dress she was designing this time was a wedding dress. She knew that it would probably be out of the question for the competition, considering her lack of access to resources and the time constraints, but she decided to have this design in her back pocket just in case.

Marinette was so absorbed in designing that she tuned out everything and everyone. Even the fact that Adrien was trying to talk to her went over her head.

All of her peers were surprised that she did not react to her crush at all, and this included Tikki.

"There. That should be enough for now," Marinette said, as she closed her sketchbook and put it away. She then turned to Alya, who was looking at her as if she had two heads. "What?"

"Girl, Adrien wanted to talk to you, but you were so focused on designing that you didn't notice!" Alya said.

"Wh-Wh-WHA-HUH?!" Marinette spluttered, nearly falling out of her seat.

Adrien could not help but chuckle at his classmate's clumsiness. There was just something so endearing about it that he could not help but once again be reminded of Ladybug.

 _'What, again? Great, I'm comparing Marinette and Ladybug for the umpteenth time. What am I going to do?'_ Adrien thought, as his feelings were getting confused.

He knew he had feelings for Ladybug, but at the same time, he began to notice Marinette at some point. Adrien had no idea how it happened, but he did not mind. In all honesty, he thought it was pleasant, finding more common traits between the two girls.

He knew Marinette was a little jittery around him, and he only just started to notice that Ladybug would act the same way around him at times. But as Cat Noir, both girls seemed to be able to speak clearly around him, as if at ease.

Frustrated with his discombobulating thoughts and emotions, Adrien just signed and resigned himself to wondering what to do about future interactions with Marinette.

In the meantime, he would keep an eye out for any potential akuma activity. Since Rochelle was back in America and Hawkmoth's villains were getting stronger, he and Ladybug would have to step up their game in order to combat upcoming akumas while their mermaid pal was out of the picture.

As much as Adrien loved cutting loose whenever an akuma attacked, he knew that there were times he wished Hawkmoth did not strike. He internally prayed that thief of the Butterfly Miraculous would leave people alone for the week.

Unknown to him, Marinette was hoping for the same thing. She did not want any interference with the competition.

Once the final bell for the day rang out, everyone stood up from their seats to go home for the day.

Marinette decided to head straight home, do her homework, and then get right on to her entry design. She would not let anything other than akumas distract her from her artistry.

As she was walking through the schoolyard to leave and head home, she failed to notice that she was being watched.

The person who had his eye on her was Adrien. He kept looking at Marinette, as if examining her or trying to find something wrong.

Adrien had been having trouble separating Marinette and Ladybug as of late, but he was not hiding it very well. Then again, he was a model, not an actor.

Nino took notice of his confusion while his best friend was examining the pigtailed designer.

"Adrien, are you okay?" Nino said, waving his hand in front of Adrien's face.

Snapping out of his stupor, Adrien shook his head and said, "Oh, um, I'm fine."

"Then why do you look like Marinette just sprouted wings or something?" Nino asked.

 _'I can't say, "Hey, Nino, doesn't Marinette remind you of Ladybug?" He'd notice something was up!'_ Adrien thought, trying to come up with an excuse.

"I'm just curious about the design Marinette plans on choosing for the competition." Adrien said.

"Is that all?" Nino asked, teasing his best friend.

"What are you getting at?" Adrien asked, turning to Nino with a quirked brow.

"I think you're finally starting to take notice of her," Nino said, nudging Adrien. "You might be beginning to _like_ her."

Adrien's face went as red as Ladybug's mask at that statement. That was the last thing he expected to think. On the other hand, he did not feel that there was anything wrong with liking Marinette, in spite of his feelings for Ladybug. In fact, something about it felt right, but he could not figure out why.

As he was pondering this possibility, he heard the honking of his chauffer's car horn. Immediately realizing what that meant, Adrien bid Nino goodbye for the day and then went off into the limousine.

~New Orleans, Louisiana, USA~

Rochelle was at the cemetery. The ceremony had ended a little while ago, but she was still hanging around.

She was wearing a simple, black dress with matching shoes. She had a belt around her waist and she was wearing a black mesh stole around her arms.

Rochelle looked at the tombstone in the ground. Since there was no one nearby, save for her mother, Rochelle lifted her hair up and let Finni come out.

"That ceremony was so moving. I never thought I'd learn so much about your dad." Finni said.

Rochelle merely nodded before kneeling down on the ground. She rubbed her hand alongside the stone, sighing sadly.

The epitaph read:

"Achille DeL'eau  
Devoted Father and Husband  
Olympic Level Swimmer."

"Wow… Your father was quite an amazing man." Finni said.

"He was. I miss him so much, Finni," Rochelle said, as she once again rubbed the stone. "I wish I could see and speak to him again, if only for a moment."

All she wished for Achille to be with her for a little while. She wanted to tell him so much about her new life in Paris, including her friends and becoming Siren.

Her life had never been so fulfilling ever since Achille had passed on. Now that she was a superheroine protecting Paris, she felt that she could make her father proud in ways she never could before. Becoming a champion swimmer like him would be one way, but now she became the heroic mermaid her father wanted her to be. To her, it was even more invigorating.

"Dad…" Rochelle said, crying. As a tear fell onto the grass beneath her, the spot the salt water touched started to glow.

The stone itself started to glow in shade of Bleu de France. Out of nowhere, someone emerged from the ground. It was an older man, in his mid-thirties, with short, red hair, and the same sea-foam green eyes that Rochelle had. He was very muscular, and was wearing a work suit. He was an ethereal projection of Achille DeL'eau's spirit, glowing periwinkle.

He smiled down at Rochelle, knelt to the ground, and placed a hand on her shoulder. As if sensing his presence, Rochelle looked up and saw her father.

"D-D…Daddy?" Rochelle asked.

He nodded, and said, "It's been ages, Rochelle."

"Dad!" Rochelle squealed, as she hugged her father's spirit and started sobbing.

"It's alright now… I'm glad you've come back to see me," Achille said, as he gently started rubbing his daughter's head. "My little mermaid."

Rochelle stifled a sob and laughed at this nickname. Her father would always call her his "little mermaid" as a term of endearment, and Rochelle could not help but think about how ironic it was to be called that now.

"I've missed you so much, dad…" Rochelle said, as she broke the hug and looked at her father.

"And I've missed you, _ma fille_ ," Achille said, before turning to the little kwami next to his daughter. "And Finni, it's very nice to meet you."

"I-I-It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Achille DeL'eau, sir!" Finni said, nervous to meet Achille.

"Haha," Achille said. "No need to be so stiff, Finni. You've been so good to my little girl. I'm happy that the kwami of the Mermaid Miraculous has been such a good friend to Rochelle."

Rochelle then spoke up and said, "I wanted to tell you about my life in Paris. So much has happened."

"No need. I've seen you in action as Siren, and I'm so proud of you," Achille said with a laugh. "My final resting place may be here in New Orleans, but I'm always watching over you and Marissa, even all the way in the City of Lights."

"Speaking of which, Dad," Rochelle said. "You knew I was fated to become Siren, didn't you?"

"Indeed," Achille said. "I always knew you would hold the Mermaid Miraculous when the time came. It would always gravitate towards you as a baby. Marissa and I never told you because you would probably think we were crazy. That, and it was one of those things we had to leave up to fate."

"Oh, dad…" Rochelle said. "There's so much about the past Sirens I want to know, but I honestly doubt you have that information. That ancestor of yours must have been pretty amazing."

"I wouldn't know," Achille said with a shrug. "Again, that was over eight-hundred years ago. All the documentation about that particular person has most likely changed hands or got destroyed."

"Oh, krill…" Rochelle said, muttering in annoyance. "What am I going to do?"

"You shouldn't let the past bother you too much, Rochelle," Finni said. "What matters now is that you are helping your friends fight off those akumas."

"Ah, yes," Achille said, shaking his head. "You, Adrien, and Marinette are doing a fine job taking care of those butterflies. I just wonder what on earth Hawkmoth's motivation is."

"I have no idea, and there's no telling what he'd do should he get his greedy hands on those stones," Rochelle said. "All the more reason to keep an eye on everything when I get back to Paris."

Rochelle looked up to the sky, wondering how everyone was doing back in Europe. She hoped that no akumas had attacked as of yet. She wanted in on the action.

~Back in Paris, France~

Marinette was in her bedroom, putting the finishing touches on yet another one of her sketches. This time it was a lavender, one-shoulder dress with an angel sleeve, mid-calf skirt with sequins on the hem, and blue roses embroidered on the skirt and bodice.

"Nice work, Marinette! With all of these ideas, I'm sure one of them will be a shoo-in for first place!" Tikki said.

"Thanks, Tikki," Marinette said. "I just hope Hawkmoth doesn't cause any trouble. It's been hard enough keeping up with these akumas, but now that Rochelle's out of town, it's going to be even more challenging to deal with them. Cat Noir and I can only do so much alone. Maybe we should talk to Master Fu about getting extra backup?"

"We'll worry about that when the time comes. For now, just relax and keep designing! Let your creative juices go!" Tikki said, as she did loops and spins in the air.

Marinette giggled at her kwami before returning to her sketches. She was still on the fence about which one to choose. She wanted to make sure the one she chose would be a winner.

"Okay, since some of these features are things I haven't done before, I might as well practice!" Marinette said, as she pushed away from her computer and went to her sewing station.

She took out her pin cushion and a set of glass beads that she had found. Marinette had pulled up a video tutorial on her phone about sewing beads onto a dress.

Marinette found a bit of leftover blue fabric from one of her other projects. Rather than waste new materials that could be used for the competition, Marinette decided to use up her scraps. She took a needle and some matching blue thread. She made sure the needle was the right size so the bead could slide on the needle and the thread.

She threaded the needle and then she poked the needle into the fabric, and pulled it out from the other side. Marinette doubled back by poking the needle through the fabric again, nearby the hole she made, and then threaded it through again. She then threaded the needle into the tail of the thread, and made a knot. She cut the tail with her scissors, being careful not to undo the knot, and then she threaded the needle back through the hole where the knot was on the fabric and out to the other side. Marinette took a bead, threaded it onto the needle, and then stuck the needle through the fabric again, being sure to the pull the threads where necessary.

Marinette kept doing this for a few hours, stopping whenever she pricked herself or needed to rest her hands. She kept looking at other video tutorials to find other things to practice for the competition.

Marinette was so excited, because there was just too much she wanted to try with her dress. On the other hand, she knew that overdoing it with techniques and skills would kill her in the competition.

"Wow, Marinette," Tikki said, as she saw all of the practice projects Marinette did. "Now I'm sure you'll be able to win no matter what design you choose!"

Marinette could not help but smile at her little friend's encouragement.

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of the dress competition was upon Marinette before she knew it. Luckily for her, it seemed like Hawkmoth was taking a vacation. There had not been any akumas over the course of the week.

Marinette internally prayed that her ladybug luck would carry over for the whole day.

Marinette was on her way to the competition, and she had a giant tote bag in hand. It carried fabrics for her dress, her sewing kit, and other supplies that she would need such as needles, scissors, measuring tape, etc. There would be some things provided for her, but the rules stated that she would need to bring her own tools and materials. Her destination was the Grand Palais, the chosen venue.

Once she reached the door, she said, "Hello, I'm here for the dress contest."

"Right here." The receptionist said, as she handed Marinette a clipboard and asked her to sign in.

"Thank you." Marinette said, as she signed her name and what category she was in for the competition.

"Alright, then, Marinette," The receptionist said. "You're entry #2911 in the Teen Category. Your station is number #43."

Marinette gave a nod and she immediately started to make her way to her assigned workspace.

Since it was an exhibition competition, every contestant was provided with a workstation. The workstations were organized by category, and each one had a sewing machine and mannequin, amongst other hardware that would probably be needed.

As soon as she entered the building, Marinette looked around at the grandeur of the contest. Everyone was sewing, cutting fabric, sketching, etc. They were all so focused.

Seeing everyone working hard made her feel a little intimidated, and she started to shuffle her feet.

"Come on, Marinette!" Tikki whispered from Marinette's purse. "You've got this! If you can save Paris time and time again, then this should be a cinch."

Marinette looked to her little friend and nodded, feeling a confidence boost from her kwami. She immediately made a dash for her assigned station.

Over in the Professional section, Adrien was walking around and looking at all of the designers and the dresses they were making.

The primary reason he was there was because Gabriel mandated that Adrien attend the competition. Adrien once again did so without complaint, but as usual, his father never made time for him. Gabriel was nowhere to be found in the Grand Palais.

"Looks like your father bailed out again," Plagg said as he peeked out from Adrien's shirt. "You'd think he'd show up to host his own competition."

"I know. But to be honest, I think the majority of these competitors would not even make the cut by my father's standards." Adrien muttered.

Having been in the modeling business for such a long time, he had a good eye for fashion. Thus, he could tell what would go over well with his father and what would not.

"Well, there is one saving grace about this," Adrien said. "I get to see Marinette hard at work."

"Oh, _really?_ " Plagg teased. "Are you sure it isn't because you're starting to fall for her?"

Adrien once again blushed, and then he insisted, "Plagg, stop it. Marinette's just a friend! Speaking of whom, let's see what she's up to."

Plagg slapped himself in the face before going to hide again. Adrien started to make his way to the teen section of the event.

Over at her station, Marinette was working on her dress, fully focused on making sure every detail was complete and perfect.

She was working on a pale yellow, lower-calf-length surplice dress that had butterfly angel sleeves. The dress itself was made with batiste fabric and the tiers of the skirt had a layer of matching color georgette fabric underneath each tier tor softness and comfort.

Marinette was setting up her station to add beads to the hems of the batiste tiers of the skirt. She took out her needles, pin cushion, pale yellow thread and a darker set of yellow beads and made to get to work.

"Looking good so far, Marinette." Tikki whispered from Marinette's purse. She was eating a cookie to keep her energy up. One never knew when an akuma could strike.

"Thanks, Tikki," Marinette whispered. "But I haven't seen any sign of…"

"Hey, Marinette!" Adrien said, as he approached her station.

"KYAH!" Marinette screamed, as she stood up in fright and nearly ruined her dress. She turned around and saw Adrien standing there. "Oh, A-Adrien, hi."

"I didn't mean to scare you." Adrien said.

"It's… Fine," Marinette said, as she collected her thoughts and tried to focus on her current situation. "Is your father around?"

"He won't be coming," Adrien said, sadly. "And honestly, I'm only here because _you're_ competing."

Marinette blushed and said, "I-I-I am? I mean, really? You're here because I am? Wh-What's so special about me, anyway?!"

"Don't talk like that, Marinette," Adrien said, trying to give her a confidence boost. "You won that derby hat competition all on your own. You're really talented, Marinette."

Marinette merely gave Adrien a smile. He smiled back, as he felt once again saw a red and black-spotted mask appear on her face for a second. Adrien shook his head a bit before saying, "So… I'll leave you to it."

Adrien turned away to leave Marinette to her work before he could do something stupid. He could have sworn he heard Plagg chuckling under his shirt. Adrien dropped sweat at that.

Meanwhile in the Amateur section, one young woman, with long, curly blonde hair, brown eyes, tan skin, and freckles was working on her entry. Her name was Amélie.

She was working on a very ornate silk wedding dress. It was pure white, floor-length, had cotton lace inlays, amongst other features. Amélie knew it was ambitious and was pressed for time, but she really wanted to get this dress done. She was embroidering some doves onto the sleeves of the dress.

However, one of her competitors was struggling with his own dress. His name was Claude, and he was definitely on the gloomy side in terms of style, but his demeanor was a whole different story. He was a perky fellow with a love for the arts, including fashion.

He was wearing rubber gloves and had some other tools and ingredients on hand near his station. Claude carrying a large bucket of hot water, but Claude had dissolved black dye in it. His particular dress was a modern take on a gothic Lolita, emphasizing the goth part. He wanted this dress to work, considered how left-field the thinking was.

As Claude was making his way over to the dress, he failed to notice some electrical cords on the ground. His foot snagged, and then he tripped with a scream. The bucket of dye flew out of his hands, and then it landed right on top of Amélie's wedding dress.

Amélie screamed in horror and fright. Seeing the black dye seeping into her pure white wedding dress was a nightmare.

 _"NO! MY DRESS!"_ She screamed.

Everyone started to turn away from their entries to look over at the commotion. Seeing the horrified look on Amélie and Claude's faces, the crowd looked aghast and some of them even covered their mouths.

 _"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!"_ Amélie shouted to Claude, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm so sorry, Mademoiselle!" Claude said. "It was an accident, I swear!"

"But my dress is **ruined**!" Amélie complained. "Whoever heard of a **black** wedding dress?!"

"I… I hear there are brides all over the world who are shaking up the wedding dress color choices, including black." Claude said, trying to be of some comfort.

"NO! Wedding dresses are supposed to be _white_! Pure, untainted, innocent! Not BLACK! That's symbolic of death and sin!" Amélie complained, falling to her knees and crying. She turned back to Claude. "What kind of fabric was that dye made for?!"

"Nylon and polyester fabrics…" Claude sheepishly replied.

Amélie screamed in anger and hollered, _"MY DRESS WAS SILK AND COTTON! THE DYE WILL **NEVER** GET OUT!"_

Amélie stood up, covered her face in shame, and ran off to another part of the contest. She was still holding some of her sewing needles in hand, but she did not care.

Claude felt horrible for what he had done. As a fellow fashion designer, he understood how artists in any field can be when something gets ruined, especially a wedding dress. He was devastated that he accidentally ruined another entrant's work and wished he could reverse the damage.

'Where's Ladybug's miraculous cure when you need it?' Claude thought, sadly.

Meanwhile, a window opened up who-knows-where in Paris. The light shone in and several white butterflies flew about. There was a tall man wearing a silver mask, a purple suit, and a purple brooch on his neck: Hawkmoth.

"Ah, the pain of a fashion designer having her latest creation ruined! A pain I know all too well," Hawkmoth said. "Perfect!"

He opened his gloved hand, and a white butterfly landed on it. He covered it with his other hand and then infused it with black energy. When he lifted his hand, the butterfly had turned blackish-purple and then he released it.

"Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize her!" Hawkmoth declared, as the butterfly left out the window.

The lone insect fluttered all the way to the Grand Palais. It soon found Amélie, huddled in a corner and crying, with her sewing needles in her hand. The butterfly slipped in undetected and landed on her needles. A red butterfly mark appeared on Amélie's face.

 _"Fashionista, I am Hawkmoth. I will give you the necessities to seek revenge on behalf of your artistry, but you must get me Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous."_ Hawkmoth said, through the telepathic connection he established.

Amélie gave a shaky nod and then a purplish-black cloud engulfed her. When she emerged, her blonde hair had turned black and it became all ratty, frizzy, filled with knots, split ends, and was all over the place. Her clothes became all mismatched. She was wearing a very vibrant red women's suit top with a tear in the right sleeve. The left sleeve was intact but rolled up to her elbow. The bottom she was wearing was a very long, pale lavender skirt with rips in the bottom hem. She was holding a giant sewing needle in her right hand, and she had a hot pink fingerless glove on it. Her left hand had a full-length opera glove in bright orange. On her waist was a gold sewing kit. She was wearing a robin-egg blue high heel on her right foot while she was wearing a brown hiking boot on her left foot.

"Time to show that fashion phony what craftsmanship really is!" Fashionista said, as she cackled like a hyena.

She then flew out of her hiding spot and started to attack the competitors. She lifted up her sewing needle and then conjured up some silk. Using her needle, Fashionista started manipulating the fabric and using it as a weapon. She would knock over people's workstations, wrap them up in her chosen fabric to constrict them, etc. Fashionista would make threads appear out of thin air to turn people into makeshift puppets or conjure up random pieces of clothing and force them to become models for her designs.

"Hahahaha! Where are you, Ladybug and Cat Noir?" She asked, teasingly. "Your Miraculous won't give themselves to me!"

As Adrien kept walking around the Grand Palais, he started to hear all the racket. He immediately ducked behind a wall and secretly peeked out to look at the Amateur section.

He saw displays and workstations that had been ruined, stray fabric lengths strewn all over the place, everyone scattering around in fright, dyes and other materials were spilled everywhere and Fashionista was reveling in all of it.

"Oh, crap, another akuma," Adrien thought aloud. "And just when Rochelle's out of town, too! Plagg, Claws -"

 _"NO!"_ Plagg hissed. "Not with all of the guards and security around!"

Adrien looked around and saw his kwami was right: there were too many guards, witnesses, and security cameras around to transform properly.

"Then we'll take this outside." Adrien said, before running straight out of the building to go and find somewhere else to change into Cat Noir.

Meanwhile, Marinette had taken to hiding for cover under her worktable as Fashionista was blasting people left and right, forcing them into tacky clothes, wrecking the entire hall.

"I can't transform like this!" Marinette whispered to Tikki. "It's too chaotic!"

"I concur. And the security is extra tight. We can't fight until we get out of here." Tikki replied, before zipping back into Marinette's purse.

Marinette tried to get up, but she bumped her head underneath the table. Fashionista took notice and used her needle to blast the table away.

"Oh no…" Marinette said, her eyes widening in panic. Fashionista sneered at her as she approached, readying her needle to attack.

"Another cute little mannequin for my art! Perfect!" Fashionista cackled, as she pointed her needle at Marinette. "Let's see… A nice, frilly, frou-frou dress with plenty of pale pink! Perfect for a cutie like you!"

Marinette was flattered at being called "cute," but she knew she was in trouble.

The needle started to glow, and Marinette immediately realized that was where the akuma was hiding. Fashionista blasted some pink fabric and thread out of her needle at Marinette, and she braced herself.

However, nothing came. Marinette peeked out to see Cat Noir spinning his baton to make it act like a shield and deflected all of the fabric and threads away. Once the onslaught stopped, Cat Noir jumped up and kicked Fashionista away, before turning to Marinette.

"I'll get you out of here, Princess!" Cat Noir said, as he immediately scooped Marinette up like a bride and started running out of the room with the greatest speed possible.

As Fashionista kept shooting fabrics at them, Cat Noir ducked and dodged everything while protecting Marinette from the barrage of clothing materials. Marinette herself was clinging to him for dear life. Sure, she really had nothing to fear with him around, but the whole situation was scary. Since she could not change into Ladybug, it complicated matters.

Once they were on the rooftop of the building and out of the danger zone, the cat boy put Marinette down and the pair started to catch their breath.

"You okay?" Cat Noir asked.

"I'm fine…" Marinette said. "But we – er, I mean, you and Ladybug need to stop her!"

"I know, but I don't know what's taking her so long…" Cat Noir said, looking around and wondering what on earth his red and black partner was up to.

 _'Crap, I can't transform. What am I going to do?'_ Marinette thought, wondering what she was capable of that moment.

She tried to think of where the akuma could be hiding in, and the only thing that stuck out to her when confronted with Fashionista was her giant sewing needle.

"It wouldn't surprise me if the akuma was in her sewing needle…" Marinette muttered.

"Hey, that actually might be true," Cat Noir said, having heard her. "How did you know? Did you see Fashionista get akumatized?"

Marinette floundered and then she said, "I, um… Well, she's a fashion-themed akuma, isn't she? Being an aspiring fashion designer myself, I thought that made the most sense, especially since it _is_ her weapon."

Marinette sweat dropped, hoping Cat Noir bought that lie. It was actually pretty sound, since a lot of weapons of victims in the past were where the akuma was hiding. The Bubbler's bubble sword; Stormy Weather's parasol; Lady Wifi's phone; Darkblade's fencing sword; Princess Fragrance's perfume bottle. And there were so many others, too.

"Marinette, right? We've met a few times in the past," Cat Noir said to her. "You're competing in this?"

"Right. I was planning on making a dress with techniques I've been practicing, but then this happened…" Marinette began.

This gave Cat Noir an idea: since Marinette had some fashion expertise, she could help by pointing him in the right direction.

"Since Ladybug's MIA right now, think you can help me out again, like with Evillustrator?" Cat Noir inquired.

"I'd…" Marinette began, and then Tikki nudged her, signaling that it was a good idea. "I'd be honored!"

"Great. You know your stuff with fashion, so I'll need your knowledge for this battle. Hope you don't mind getting into the crosshairs." Cat Noir said.

"Anything to help until Ladybug gets here." Marinette said, with confidence.

She may not be Ladybug at the moment, but it was better than sitting around doing nothing.

"Okay." Cat Noir said with a smile.

He immediately opened a window, snagged Marinette's hand, and then jumped down into the warzone. The pair faced down Fashionista and Marinette hid behind Cat Noir for the moment.

"There you are, my pretty little model!" Fashionista said, as soon as she saw Marinette. She lifted her needle and it started to glow. Cat Noir took up his baton and tried his beset to defend the designer.

Marinette asked, "Are your claws sharp enough to tear into fabric?"

"Not sure, but I can try. If they are, that can be helpful." Cat Noir said, as he kept knocking away fabrics, beads, needles, laces, threads, and more from Fashionista's needle.

Marinette then had an idea come to her and she said, "Try avoid using Cataclysm for the moment! I have an idea!"

Marinette herself looked around to see what she could use to fight with. She saw several random items and started throwing them at Fashionista. If hitting the villain in the head to distract her was the plan, it was working.

Cat Noir started jumping against and off the walls to confuse the akumatized fashion designer. She kept firing different fabrics, and then Marinette noticed that somehow the water pipes in the walls had broken and were leaking out of the walls. As the water sprinkled onto the strewn clothes, she saw that some of them were shrinking. She also noticed that one of the fabrics that Fashionista fired was stopped in its tracks once it got wet. Marinette also saw that right above Fashionista were the sprinklers in case of fires. She then had an epiphany.

"She's firing out silk, cashmere, and other dry-clean only fabrics! Destroy the sprinkler system!" Marinette shouted.

"Got it!" Cat Noir shouted, before bouncing off the wall, back onto the floor, and then jumped up. _"Cataclysm!"_

Filling his right hand with bad luck energy, he slammed it against the main sprinkler. They rusted away and then all of the water in the pipes started leaking out.

Now all of the fabrics that Fashionista was firing out were falling to the floor, soaking wet and unable to move.

 _'Wow, Marinette certainly knows what she's doing. It's almost as if Ladybug were here.'_ Cat Noir thought, as he realized how clever Marinette was.

As Fashionista was struggling to fight back, Marinette bolted out the door to the building and ducked behind an alley a few meters away. Making sure no one was watching, Marinette let Tikki out of her purse.

"Nice work, Marinette! You were able to help Cat Noir without transforming!" Tikki praised.

"Thanks, but right now we have more work to do! Cat Noir needs _Ladybug_!" Marinette said. _"Tikki, Spots On!"_

After a few more minutes of fighting off the soaking wet fashion designer, Cat Noir was thinking, _'What's taking Ladybug so long?! And did Marinette manage to get away?'_

As Fashionista was about to fire a fabric that was not overly-sensitive to water, her forearm was bound by a familiar yo-yo string and then it was pulled away.

"Sorry I'm late, kitty!" Ladybug said, jumping down and keeping the akuma from fighting back. "I see you've gotten a head-start."

"Yeah, one of the contestants, Marinette, helped me out." Cat Noir said.

"Good. I ran into her and she's safe," Ladybug said. "Now let's get rid of that akuma!"

"Marinette said it might be in the sewing needle." Cat Noir said, as he dodged some velvet.

"She might have the right idea! _Lucky Charm_!" Ladybug shouted, as she shot her yo-yo into the air. Out of thin air and into her hands landed...

"A _wedding dress_?" Ladybug said, surprised at seeing a red and black-spotted dress land.

"Thinking that we should tie the knot, m'lady?" Cat Noir teased.

"No..." Ladybug said, as she held the dress up.

Fashionista saw the dress, and she screamed out, "Bad enough I had to see the audacity that was a _black_ wedding dress, but red _and_ black spots?! This is a disaster!"

She dropped the needle and ran for the dress. Ladybug tossed the dress in Fashionista's direction and then she ran for the needle. She broke it by picking up the needle and snapping it in half.

The akuma flew out and then Ladybug got to work.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma! Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug declared, as she snagged the akuma with her yo-yo. "Gotcha!"

She then let the white butterfly out of her yo-yo, and then took the wedding dress and threw it into the air, shouting, _"Miraculous Ladybug!"_

A wave of ladybugs flew over the Grand Palais and then everything was reset. The sprinklers were back to normal, and everyone's stations were reset.

"Pound it!" The pair of heroes said, as they bumped fists. Fashionista was turned back to normal, and she was lying on the floor, exhausted.

Cat Noir was looking at Ladybug, and noticed some similarities to Marinette.

"Um... Why are you staring at me?" Ladybug asked.

"M'lady... Are you..." Cat Noir began, but then his ring beeped. "Um, this cat's gotta scat!"

Cat Noir used his baton and flew out of the window of the building. Meanwhile, Ladybug ran into a closet to change back.

A few hours later, the competition was back on track. Amélie had dropped out of the competition due to her dress being ruined. Otherwise, everything else was going off without a hitch.

Marinette had finished up her entry and the judges were already finishing up their evaluations. On the floor of the competition, where the spectators were walking around, Adrien was standing in front of Marinette's station.

 _'The resemblance between Marinette and Ladybug is uncanny, and they're a lot alike in situations like that...'_ Adrien thought, as he watched Marinette closely.

Once the judges had finished their deliberations and their judging, they were up at the winners' circle for the announcements.

Marinette waited patiently as the judges announced who won the Professional, Amateur and Youth categories. The Teen section was next, and Marinette was nervous.

Adrien noticed her anxiety and said, "You'll be fine, Marinette."

Marinette smiled as she received this vote of confidence from Adrien.

"Now, for the Youth Category..." The head judge said, as he announced the second and third place winners.

Gabriel Agreste had face-timed through his iPaid and Nathalie again, like he did with the derby hat contest back at the school, so he could talk to the judges about who won the contest.

"For First Place, I am pleased to announce that the winner is entry #2911 - Marinette Dupain-Cheng." Gabriel said.

Hearing her name, Marinette jumped for joy as she ran up to the stage. The head judge gave her the trophy for the contest. She started crying tears of joy. Adrien, down in the audience, was applauding Marinette's success at winning her category of the competition.

"I am expecting great things from you in the future, Miss Marinette." Gabriel said.

"I will, Mr. Agreste." Marinette said, as she stood proud and held the trophy up for the audience to see.

* * *

 **Now... I hate to say this to my fans, but I don't think I'll be continuing with this story.**

 **With the future water akuma and water modes, I feel that Siren will be unnecessary and I've been having more fun writing romance multi-chapter stories and one-shots for this fandom instead. Coming up with akumas is hard, this story doesn't really do it for me anymore, and with the introduction of Luka, I'm certain that fans are going crazy over him and I want to write more Adrienette VS. Lukanette material.**

 **This story will still be up, but updates are unlikely to continue if at all. So... I'm sorry, but this could very well be the final chapter of this story.**


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